Tide and Seafoam
by HamsterCastiel
Summary: "No." Fili looked to the deck and saw Thorin and Dwalin pulling up the net. With a gasp, he grabbed his dagger and started sprinting into the water but Bofur was pulling him back to the shore, away from Kili. Fili's mouth went dry. "Thorin, no! Uncle, let him go!" Or The one where Kíli is a merman and meets a pirate named Fíli, and Thorin does not approve of this
1. Chapter 1

**A little different story this time. Mer!Kili and Pirate!Fili and a very protective uncle Thorin.**

Many things bugged Fili lately, if he was to be honest with himself. The lack of fresh fruit on board. The lack of sunlight those last few days. That Thorin had sent him fishing in the middle of the night, hoping for a miracle.

Thankfully, the only thing left to so was to pull in the small net and hope that anything had been caught, really. With a sigh, Fili grabbed the rope attached to the net and started to pull.

Jackpot. Something had gotten tangled up in the net and Fili grinned, beginning to pull. With how much the fish was struggling, it had to be a big one. Fili almost fell off the boat as he skidded a couple of meters before cursing and mobilizing all his powers. He could do this. The people were hungry. The crew desperately needed food.

Under the surface, the merman hadn't seen the net before it was too late. He had been following the current, enjoying the new area he was currently living in. Then there was a distant pull on his fin and he turned around startled, seeing his light blue coloured tail fin being tangled with an insistent net. He curled a little, trying to pull himself free with no avail as he was tugged above the surface.

As soon as he broke the surface, Kili let out a low hiss out of instict, hitting his fin against the side of the boat and trying to hit on the human that was on the boat. He knew too well what happened to their kin when they were pulled up in the humans world and he was not going to go down without a fight.

Kili pushed himself up on his arms, seething at the human again as he fought to get the net away from his fin. This was not good, definitely not good, the human had a knife in his hands. Then again he was currently frozen as well, so that bought him a little more time. He twisted his body, hands reaching out to the net and started to peel it away, keeping his eyes on the human all the time.

That was not a fish. Most definitely not a fish. "Shit." Fili breathed out and watched the proceedings wearily. He knew what happened to people who fell for the merfolk's charms. _Eaten_, some stories said. _Drowned_, others cried. But... The merman didn't look like he wanted to be here any more than Fili wanted him to be here. Swallowing, Fili sheathed the knife again and inched closer, keeping his hands raised to let the merman show that he was not going to attack him with something sharp. "Calm down. Let me help."

Kili flipped him off with his fin, hitting it on the deck hard as he pushed his back against the edge of the wooden ship. The human was nearing him without the knife, telling him it was alright. He resisted the urge to snort, nothing was alright, humans were evil, vicious, dangerous. He didn't know what he would tell Bilbo if he'd get hurt up here. But there was something in the human's eyes, something that told him the human wanted to get rid of him as much as he wanted to be gone, so he stilled his fin varily.

Fili took a deep breath as the fin stilled and shot the merman a tense look. Very slowly, so the merman had no reason to hit him in the face, Fili crouched down and began to untangle the net. He worked cautious as to not rip the net or hurt the merman. Sweat dripped from the side of his face from the sheer concentration but finally, he was able to remove the net.

Not any sooner than the net was broken, Kili hoisted himself over the edge and fell head first into the water, welcoming it in his lungs. It wasn't like he couldn't breathe up there, but it was extremely painful without breaks back in the water.  
Curious, not expecting to be back in water after his first encounter with a human, he swam a safe distance away before floating back up so that his head broke the surface and he watched the human.

Fili let out the long, shaky breath he didn't know he had been holding. He supported himself on the railing and watched the merman disappear underneath the water. His eyes searched the surface and Fili couldn't help but smile when he saw the dark mop of hair in the distance. They both were alright. Good.

He raised his hands to make sure his voice would carry. "We'll be heading closer to the islands to the east!" He didn't want to say anything else. Fili was sure the merman knew friendly advice when he heard it.

Kili tilted his head curiously and surprised, it was obvious that the man was helping him, telling him to stay away from the easter side of the islands. But how could he be sure that it wasn't a trap? A gentle helper to get his trust, so when he'd go west, those men would be there? Making a thoughtful noise in the back of his throat Kili dove back underwater, his fin hitting the surface in some sort of wave.

Fili watched the merman disappear beneath the waves before he sighed, turning to face the net. Time to take care of what little fish he had managed to get after all. It was meagre but it was better than nothing. With a determined look on his face, he collected the fish and disappeared into the kitchen to gut them.


	2. Chapter 2

The next day, Fili spent climbing barefoot all over the ship, checking the sails and tying ropes. Thorin hadn't been happy with how little fish Fili had ended up getting but really, that hadn't been Fili's fault. It wasn't even the merman's fault. And said merman refuse to keep Fili's thoughts alone.

He still couldn't believe he had survived the encounter and could only hope that the merman wouldn't end up in their nets again. Humming, Fili looked to the setting sun and smiled briefly. He was aching all over, his skin was sunburnt but the life at sea had its lovely moments.

The man didn't leave him alone. He kept haunting Kili in his mind, the golden hair in the sunset, the wide eyes that spoke of fear yet wonder. Kili knew it was stupid, knew it was dangerous but he was a curious nature and he couldn't help himself.  
He surfaced near some big rocks and leant against it, his fingers curling on the warmth as he stared at the boat and the people in it. To anyone who would have a glance at him, he looked like a normal human who decided to go on a dip in the shelter of the rocks, as long as he remembred to keep his fin hidden under the surface.

As the youngest member on board, Fili had to take care of the ship during the first night. Not even being the captain's nephew could get him out of that duty. But Fili didn't mind. After the whole rocking of the ship and the sun, he didn't feel like getting drunk. He laughed with the men as they disappeared on the land and waved after them, then settled down on the railing again.  
A nice quiet night was what he wanted and what he would get, he just knew it.

Kili stayed hiding the whole day, ocassionally surfacing to take a look of the situation in the boat, and then hiding out of sight when the humans left for land, leaving the human he had met seemingly alone in the huge ship. Confused by this manner, he went closer in the safety of the water and shadows until he rose up on one of the flatter rocks that were closer to the ship and tilted his head. Why he was doing this, he wasn't sure. Part of him wondered if the human would taste good. Kili wasn't so much into eating humans, but he didn't hesitate to drown those who stood against him. He had done that few times already.

Fili looked down to the water and smiled. In the last rays of the sun, it looked breathtakingly beautiful. A little greener than it actually was, a little less dangerous than it usually decided to be. Then he remembered the tradition. Fili quickly pulled out a small, silver coin and pressed his lips against it. "Thank you for letting us traverse your waters safely, lady of the sea. Please allow us your favor during the next journey," he muttered, then gave the silver coin a sad look. Fili hoped that next time, he would be able to make an offering of gold. Then he turned around to the wide, open ocean and threw the coin as far as it would go.

Kili caught the glinting object, not even hesitating before he dove after it with a small splash. It took him a while to find what the human had discarded and he took the silver coin in his hands curiously. He bit on it, and made a face at the metally taste. He stocked it into a safe place he would find it later before surfacing again. Humans were so weird, he thought sliding up on the rock, enjoying the last rays of the sun.

Fili settled down on the railing again when it happened. The locket his mother had given him slipped out of his pocket, having gotten jostled around too much during his jumping around on the ship. With a curse, Fili reached for it but was half a second too slow. He bit down on his bottom lip as he watched it disappear under the water. He hesitated, then took a quick look around. The water was shallow and it was still somewhat sunny so... With a determined look on his face, Fili took off his shirt before he jumped after the locket.

Kili's head snapped up at the sound of the surface of the water breaking, and a quick look around told him the human had jumped in the water. For what? Why? It'd be dangerous if he'd end up in the wrong part of the ocean. Quickly sliding under the water, it took only few kicks from his fin to catch up with the human. If something didn't eat him first, he'd drown for sure.

Fili kicked his legs a couple of times, hard. His hands soon brushed over the sandy floor and he felt around, heart pounding in his chest. Finally, his fingers found the chain and the locket and with a smile, Fili pulled it close to his chest. When he looked up, the salt stinging in his eyes, he froze.

The same merman was there. And they were underwater. This wasn't the human zone, this was merfolk zone. Panic welled up instead of him and he swam back a couple of feet, trying to put some distance between them. But he had to get back up to the surface soon. He needed to breathe after all.

Idiot, what an idiot. Swimming that way would end him up in a dead end, surrounded by the rocks and he surely would run out of air before that. All because of a jewelery? He had caught a glimpse of the chain and something hanging from it and he swam after the human easily enough. It was the least he could do. The human had spared his life, he couldn't let the human die either.

The panic intensified. The merman was swimming towards him and that could only mean one thing. Quickly, Fili swam back and up some more. But his fingers didn't breach the surface, they met solid rock. He was stuck between a rock and a hard place. Fili whirled around, not knowing what to do. He was trapped and surely, he would end as merman fodder.

Kili tilted his head at him, looking slightly sorrowful at the pure fear he could see in the human's eyes. Carefully, cautiously he swam closer, trying to make him understand that he was not going to eat him or drown him. His fin floated restlessly beside him and he pushed some of the hair away from his face.

Fili held very, very still. The face looked so human. If there wasn't a tail attached to that body, Fili wouldn't have worried in the slightest. But it was also that very human face that kept Fili from reaching for the dagged strapped to his lower leg. He was able to defend himself but... As shameful as it was, he couldn't bring himself to harm this creature.

The first wave of bubbles escaped out of the corners of his mouth and Fili quickly covered his lips with the hand also clutching the locket. This was it. No escape. He closed his eyes and held out a hand to the merman, hoping he would approve of the lack of resistance and make it quick.

Kili made a distressed sound at the sight of the bubbles, the first noise he had let the human hear him keep as he grabbed that offered hand with only a moment of hesitation. The human had helped him, it was only fair for him to return the favour.

Pulling the human a little closer, he kicked with his fin to shoot them further up from the bottom of the sea, all the time holding the human's hand in his own.  
Fili's eyes shot open again when the merman started dragging him along. Where was he taking him? Drag him along till he surely drowned? Pull him away to be fed from?

His question was answered when they broke the surface and, spluttering and sucking in huge gulps of air, Fili clung to the rock the merman pushed him on, resting his shaking upper body against it. He needed a few seconds to regain his clarity and when he did, he lifted his head to look at the merman. His head was still pounding from the lack of oxygen so the smile of gratitude he wanted to appear on his face came out more like a grimace. Still, he locked eyes with the merman. "Tha... thank you."

Kili tilted his head again, keeping his eyes on the man. A tiny smile appeared on his lips at the words and he hummed under his breath, a soft, sorrowful noise that reached the land and caught the attention of the humans returning to the ship. There was a collective of shouts, someone recognizing Fili and the shouts got more angrier and dibelieving and Kili took that as a cue to leave. The human would be fetched. With a last look at the man Kili dove underwater, his fin breaking the surface last as he swam further away to safety.

It was actually Thorin who reached Fili first, anger and worry warring on his face. He was snarling something under his breath that was decidedly not nice and probably directed at the merman. Fili wanted to protest, to explain but he still felt weak. He let himself get dragged to the land and then carried up to the ship. He only was aware of half the things happening and soon lost consciousness. The merman, however, remained on his mind.

Kili watched the man being carried away from a safe distance, and for some reason the knowledge the man was alright made him feel peace. He clicked his tongue before going ot search for the silver coin the human had thrown down before, and after moment of searching he found it. He turned it around and sniffed it before starting to search again.

It took him a while until he found something he could use, a broken net which he slowly tore apart, using the chain on top of it to tie it around the coin four times to keep it still and slid it around his neck. He tilted his head again and touched it gingerly before taking off again.


	3. Chapter 3

They left the harbor several days later. Pirates never stayed long in one place unless it was a safe haven, welcoming to those loving plunder and battles and not to those who loved the law and liked to arrest. Thorin had forced Fili to stay in his room since his nephew had caught a terrible cold after falling into the water but after a week after the incident, Fili couldn't take it anymore. Wrapped in a blanket and sniffling, he settled down near the raiiling. He wondered if he'd ever see the merman again.

Despite the protests of his mates, despite the voice that was screaming to him that it was wrong, Kili had followed the ship when it left. He was thankful that he wasn't alone however. Bilbo had joined him, even if little unsure but he wanted to see more than the rift they lived in. So the two of them continued to follow the ship for a week, stopping when it did and explored their new enviroment. Kili hadn't seen the man in a week and it made him slightly restless, even if a part of him still wanted to get rid of him. He surfaced one night, hearing someone move on the ship and peeked up from the water.

Fili turned his head when he heard a little splash coming from the ocean. At first, he didn't see anything and almost looked away again. Then he caught a glimpse of that almost familiar brown hair and couldn't help but smile. He pushed himself back up on his feet and leaned against the railing, peering at the merman. "Hello," he croaked out, voice still raw and hoarse.

Ah, it was the human after all, Kili thought surprisingly pleased. Though he sounded a little different this time, he noted as he tilted his head in aknowledge.

Fili hesitated before he pulled back a bit. "Wait here, alright?" He pointed to the water. "I will be right back." It didn't occur to him that the merman might take his leave as a threat. But Thorin had bought him two beads with different designs and Fili wanted to give one to the merman. He wasn't sure why, but it just felt like he should give the other to the merman as a thanks.

Kili looked confused as the human left, understanding that he wanted him to stay still and doupt clawed his chest again. What if the human was going to get his friends? What if it was a trap to catch him? He sunk back under the water till his eyes and mop of hair were the only ones visible above the surface.

Fili took a while to return to the spot. Bofur had caught him sneaking out and he quickly had to reassure the man that he needed some fresh air after being in his stuffy cabin for so long. The man had bought that and disappeared back into his own room. When he returned, Fili peeked over the railing and blinked, barely making out the shape of the merman. "Thanks for staying. I got you something." He put the bead meant for the merman between thumb and forefinger and held it out into the direction of the merman. He didn't drop it into the water just yet but also didn't expect the merman to come any closer.

Kili dared to peek a little further up from the water and stared at the silvery thing in the human's hair with confusion, flicking his eyes up on him. He didn't understand what the human wanted him to do, or what the thing in his hand was.

"Here." Fili put the bead into his pocket and began to braid his hair into a quick, slim braid. Near the end, he slid the bead upon one of the three strands before continuing to braid them, finally capping it off with a string. "See? That's what you're supposed to do with them." He pulled out the one meant for the merman again and crouched down, pushing his arm through the bar and offering the bead to the merman. His free hand was placed on the railing so the finned one wouldn't have to worry about Fili secretly holding a weapon.

Kili hesitated a long moment, his eyes following how the man had weaved the silvery thing into his hair interested. Obviously the human wanted him to keep the other one, but why? He swam closer slowly, watching every movement the human could make as he reached for the bead, fingers curling around the cold object and he glanced up at the man hesistantelly. He would hesitate to hiss and pull him down if the human tried to hurt him.

Carefully and slowly, Fili let go of the bead and took half a step back, both hands placed on the railing. He didn't want to startle the merman. And finally, he took the time to study the young merman's features. He had pretty dark eyes and full lips and Fili would have called him more than handsome if he hadn't known about the fact that merfolk had rather sharp teeth and could kill a human within seconds. The other looked strong as well, muscled arms and upper body. "It's for you. For saving me," Fili pointed out and smiled.

Kili turned the bead in his hands curiously, fingers tracing the encraving with the tip of his finger before looking back up at the human. "For me?" He asked silently, speaking for the first time since he himself knew when. He rarely spoke to humans, and it was obvious with the way he talked hesistantelly, his voice smooth and ringing in the silence.

Fili blinked then grinned, voice rising slightly. "So you can speak our language!" Then his coughed and quickly massaged his throat. "...but yes. It's for you." This time, his tone was low again. He had enjoyed listening to the merman before when he was making these strange music like noises but this... this was nice, too.

"Just a bit." Kili corrected him, it wasn't like he had mastered the language over one night. He knew what some things meant, but mostly he was clueless about humans. All he knew was that they were brutal and ate his kin. He turned the bead in his hands again before squeezing it into the safety of his palm and swam few inches further away, making a noise in the back of his throat.

Fili didn't push it or call out to the merman and ask for him to come back. Instead, he offered him a small if pained smile. "...My name is Fili. I'm sorry for dragging you out of the water a few days ago. It wasn't my intention to catch you. Did I hurt you?"

Kili bit on his lower lip, shaking his head negative. He hadn't been hurt, just startled out of his skin so to say. "...Kili." He said after a moment of silence, surprised how close their names resembled each other.

Fili laughed hoarsely and settled down, his legs still feeling weak. He leaned his forehead against the railing. "Good. I know that... we shouldn't talk like this. I don't know how many people you've eaten and if I'm going to end up on that list, too." He paused, peering down and into Kili's eyes. "Are you going to eat me?" There was honest fear in his voice but he didn't budge an inch back as his heart hammered away in his chest.

Kili laughed, honest of god laughed. The noise was stiffled at first so he sunk a little lower in the water, causing his laughter to sound like the noises of the ocean, clear and bright. He shook his head again, eyes twinkling mischiveously. "Only if you hurt me or my kin."

Fili chuckled softly, eyes bright. He knew humor when he heard it, no matter the other barriers between them. "I don't want to hurt you or your kin, I promise." He paused and shook his head. "No, that didn't come out right. I promise I won't hurt you or your kin." Better. He nodded to himself. Grinning, he crossed his arms over the railing and rested his head on them.

Kili stared at him disbelieving, his fingers squeezing around the bead. This human was different. For some reason he made him feel warm and safe, instead of the displeasure and bitterness he was used on feeling against humans. The movements on the deck caught Kili's attention and within a blink and another he dove deeper under the surface without a sound.

Fili blinked at the sudden disappearance of his tentative acquaintance, the turned his head and nearly winced. Thorin. His uncle didn't look happy to find him up here on deck and took Fili's arm to lead him back downstairs. Fili smiled slightly and shook his head at his uncle's behavior. Anger born of worry indeed.

Underneath the surface Kili examined the bead again, trying to remember what Fili had done. With the help of Bilbo, who was worried about his interest to the human, he managed to braid the bead in his hair so that it hung before his left ear.

The next day, Fili was back on deck and helping out again. Thorin was only giving him light jobs but Fili didn't mind, he still was out of breath quite quickly but it felt good to have the sun warming his face again, bringing out a cloud of pale freckles. They docked in a harbor safe for pirates that night and Fili stayed back on the ship again, citing illness as his reason. Thorin gave him a stern lecture about staying away from the water before he left but, too impatient to really heed Thorin's words, Fili soon found himself on the deck again. He watched the surface of the water, curious of Kili was going to show up again tonight.

Not few minutes later when the rest of the humans left, Kili broke the surface with a small grin. He knew it was wrong, he knew he was stupid but Fili kept drawing him towards him slowly but surely. He splashed the water lightly and spun around, enjoying the moments in sun when he could.

Fili grinned as well, sitting down on the railing and letting his legs dangle. He didn't call out to Kili just yet. He didn't want to distract him from the fun he was having, splashing away on the water and enjoying the sun. He probably didn't get to enjoy it all too often, not with how he seemed to be following their ship around. The way Kili splashed around in the water made something warm settle in Fili's chest and he smiled, running a hand over his bead.

A little while later Kili floated over to Fili, still keeping the safety distance though, just in case. He smiled carefully up at the human, his hands helping him float as he relaxed his fin.

"Hello Kili," Fili greeted him and stretched out his legs. He smile turned a little more tentative now that Kili was paying attention to him. "Was it difficult to keep up with the ship today?"

Kili shook his head negative, clicking his tongue again. It hadn't been hard, the ships in general were pretty slow compared to the short spurts of speed the merman could do.

"Really?" Fili's eyebrows wandered up but in hindsight, Kili had been born to swim in the ocean. The ship was man-made, heavy and was dependant on strong winds. "You're pretty quick."

Kili chuckled silently and nodded his head in agreement. His fin splashed in the water gently and he hummed in approval, fingers finding the bead and tugged it lightly, looking questionable at Fili.

Fili tilited his head and leaned forward a bit so Kili would be able to see the bead braided into Fili's hair. He wasn't sure what Kili was asked so he waited patiently.

Kili eyed the bead in Fili's hair, then back on his own and made a thoughtful yet pleased noise in his throat. Bilbo had manage to put it close to correct. A little messier, but water did that.

Fili smiled and nodded. "It looks good in your hair. I'm glad. I was a little worried the braid wouldn't last in the water but it seems it did." He was glad. The bead looked pretty in Kili's dark hair.

Kili smiled softly at that and nodded, fingers playing with the bead humming under his breath. He blinked then and lifted the talisman up, the silver coin that Fili had thrown into water weeks ago. It was still hanging around his neck from the chain.

Fili blinked, not comprehending for a second. Then he frowned slightly. "You collected that? And kept it?" He scratched at his cheek, not sure how to explain that it hadn't been for Kili. But for some reason, he didn't mind. It was time for another offering to the lady of the sea anyway. "I threw the coin into the water to thank the lady of the sea for granting us safe passage." He pulled out another silver coin, quickly muttering his thanks against it before lobbing it into the water. "This is my offering to her so she will keep the storms away and make sure none of the crew get seriously sick or injured."

Kili tilted his head as the second coin hit the water and slowly sunk underneath. The humans really had weird traditions, it seemed. He nodded in understanding though and let the coin lay in the bottom of the ocean.

"What about you?" Fili looked over his shoulder to check if anyone was coming before leaning forward again, looking down to Kili. "Do you have any traditions that you can share with me?"

Kili blinked twice, then made another thoughtful noise as he frowned a little before he dove under the water. He found a average sized shell, and collected the most beautiful underwater plants, flowers and stones in it that he could before surfacing again and let Fili see it. "To protect family."

Fili waited patiently until Kili resurfaced, then nodded in understanding. "Wanting to protect your family is always good." But if he was being honest, he'd never thought about merfolk having family. Caring for them. Loving them. One less difference. "Do you have siblings?"

Kili nodded again, letting the shell and offerings drift back in the bottom of the ocean. "Half brother." He replied laying on his back and closed his eyes. "Merfolk all big family."

Fili hummed in understanding. He wasn't sure if he was allowed to ask more about families. He was curious but what if Kili felt like he was asking too much, perhaps trying to find out where they all lived? Fili didn't want to destroy their tentative friendship. "What's he like?"

"Tender. Small." Kili replied with an amused tone, his lips quirked in a soft smile. "Fierce too." He looked up at Fili, blinking the water away from his eyelashes. "You?"

So Kili's brother was still young. Fili smiled and shook his head. "I used to have a younger sister." He hesitated before shrugging slightly. "Then the illness came to our village and she died. She's just learned how to crawl." He shrugged again, chewing on his bottom lip. "But she loved to smile."

Kili's smile fell from his face and he sighed silently. "'m sorry..." He murmured silently, lowering his gaze. "...My other brother was taken by humans." He said silently, after hesitating a moment. He didn't like to approach the subject, but it felt like the human should know. Just to give a warning that if Fili tried something on Bilbo, he wouldn't survive.

Fili winced, sympathy welling up inside of him. "...I'm sorry to hear that." He didn't know what else to say. _'Hope they made it quick'? 'I'm sure he didn't suffer for too long'?_ It was both inappropiate. "...were you close?"

"He was my world." Kili said silently, letting his eyes slide back close. "He was younger, a brother of me and the child of our friend. They caught him while we were playing."

Fili's eyes grew hard and he shook his head. Of course they would. It was always the children, no matter the race. Many human children had been taking into the ocean while they'd been careless and Fili had heard stories about adults fishing specifically for young merfolk. Then it hit him. "You were there?" He swallowed.

Kili was quiet for a long moment, not knowing wheter he should tell Fili or not. He had told him more than enough. "I was there." He agreed finally. "I was trying to pull him back, I saw his eyes filled with fear and tears, I heard him scream. I saw him being killed on the beach. I drowned one of the men out of anger."

Fili closed his eyes and sighed. So much anger. So much pain. And who was to say what had been wrong or right to do in that situation? But... "I would have done the same," Fili quietly agreed and gave Kili a form look. "Family is precious."

Kili nodded slowly, a tear sliding down his chin and transforming into a small pearl as it hit the water. "I should go." He murmured silently and without waiting for reply he let his body sink under the water before spinning around and swam away.

Fili sighed and watched the spot where Kili had disappeared and settled his feet back down on the wood. This had been pretty heavy and he wouldn't have been surprised if Kili wasn't going to show up for a while.


	4. Chapter 4

Fili kept his eyes on the water during the next few days. They hadn't stayed in the port for too long. Word had it that there were government ships carrying loads of gold on their way back to the origin islands. Thorin had decided to go and hunt them down but so far, there was no ship bearing the government's flag. So Thorin had led them to a small island. They could all use a day or two off while Thorin plotted the next route and Fili was enjoying a nice little dip in the crystal clear water, away from the other crewmembers.

Kili followed the ship hidden for few days. He couldn't make himself meet Fili yet, not after their last encounter. He didn't understand why he had opened up to Fili, why he had told him of the topic that still hurt him after all these years. It was like the human had slipped under his skin, and he couldn't scratch him out and it scared him.

He blinked surprised when he saw Fili down in the water, away from the others and he cautiously approached the man, keeping his eyes on the other members of the crews. Grinning widely at the random idea that popped in his head Kili dove deeper, and once he was underneath Fili he let his fin slide against Fili's legs.

Fili nearly jumped out of his skin, whirling around and ready to wrestle a shark- But it was only Kili. Chuckling, Fili reached out and tentatively ran a hand over Kili's fin. "Hello to you, too, Kili." The warmth settled in his chest again and his heartbeat picked up. Must be the adrenaline.

Kili shuddered surprised by the touch on his fin and slapped it playfully before surfacing with a chuckle. He knew it was dangerous, the water was crystal clear but he couldn't keep himself away any longer.  
Fili returned the grin and kicked his legs a bit. He was happy to see Kili again, had been admittedly worried about him after not seeing him for so long. "Welcome back."

Kili tilted his head smiling, playfully splashing some of the water at Fili. "Missed me?" He asked teasingly.  
Laughing, Fili splashed some water at Kili as well before he nodded. "Yes." He was a little surprised at how much the merman had already grown on him. Their encounters had been full of surprises so far and Fili greatly enjoyed them. Well, aside from the almost drowning experience.

Kili looked slightly surprised at the answer and he grinned back at him, shaking his head to clear the water from his hair. He splashed more water on Fili grinning, using his fin to take advance.

Fili yelped and used his arms to create small washes to splash Kili with, trying to stifle his laughter as to not create as much noise. Then he looked at Kili's braid, curious to see how the bead was doing.

"Want me to braid that again for you?" It still looked fine but Fili could tell someone who didn't have a lot of experience had braided Kili's hair. Admittedly, he was a little worried Kili wouldn't allow the touch yet.

Kili looked unsure, his fingers curling around the bead before he hesistantelly nodded. "But...just so you know, one wrong move.." He let the treath hang in the air, throwing Fili a piercing glare.

Fili nodded, knowing how serious this was for Kili. He was about to show vulnerability to someone he had learned to distrust all his life. Fili did have an idea about how that felt. "If you're not used to having your hair braided, it might feel odd at first, just warning you now." Fili made sure to move carefully so Kili could watch him without having to worry. He fumbled with the string holding the braid in place until he had untied it and then gently carded his fingers through the braid until it came undone.

Kili couldn't help the second shudder that coursed through his body as Fili touched his hair, and his first instict was to pull away which he nearly did before forcing himself to stay still. He inhaled slowly and closed his eyes, trying to catalogue the feel of Fili's fingers in his hair.

Fili paused and glanced back to the shore where the brush he had brought along was lying. But he didn't want to move away right now, not when Kili had closed his eyes and seemed to be trusting him with this. Softly, Fili hummed under his breath as he seperated the hair into three strands and began to braid them together. He made sure it was nice and tight so Kili wouldn't be forced to repeat the procedure anytime soon.

It felt weird, somehow better that Fili was doing it instead of Bilbo. It felt like it meant something. The fingers worked quick and sure in his hair, weaving the braid in it's place and Kili hummed to himself.

Fili smiled and stopped humming to listen to Kili instead. He finally put the bead on a strand and slowly finished up the braid. Then he took two steps back to give Kili some space. "I'm done." He swallowed, noticing how Kili's eyelashed rested against his skin.

Kili opened his eyes slowly, his fingers reaching up and finding the bead neatly braided in his hair and he turned around flashing Fili a thankful smile. "It'll hold better now...thank you."  
Fili nodded and grinned at Kili. "You're welcome. I'm glad to see that you're taking such good care of it." He stretched out and flopped down on his back, letting himself float a little bit.

Fili looked to Kili and returned the smile the merman gave him. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see their hair floating together in a cloud. A dark, lovely brown and his own blond hair. The sight made his smile widen.

"You seem happy?" Kili asked thoughtfully, trying to figure Fili out as he turned around and floated on his stomach for a moment before flipping around.  
"I am happy. It's a good day. The weather is nice and the water is warm. And you showed up again. I was a little worried that you'd gotten injured by a shark or someting," Fili admitted as he stared at the clear blue sky.

"A shark rarely injures us deathly." Kili replied easily with a smile, lifting his hand up towards the sky.  
"Good to know." Fili grinned and looked towards the shore again. No one was there. Feeling reassured, Fili let his legs move towards the ground again. "How about a little race?"

"A race?" Kili asked surprised, turning his head to look at Fili. "What kind of race?"  
"A swimming race, of course!" Fili laughed. He had no illusions about winning the race but he really wanted to see how fast Kili could go. "Let's say from here to..." He looked around. "...that rock formation over there?"

Kili grinned at him, eyeing the rock formation with a nod. "Sure." He agreed twisting his body into a proper position.  
"Ready?" Fili got into position as well, ready to dip under a couple of feet and to kick off on the sandy ground. "Go!" And he did just that, easily kicking himself off the sandy ground, giving himself a small additional boost.

Kili rolled his eyes smiling and didn't even really have to try. With few easy kicks he swam past Fili, throwing him a grin over his shoulder as he reached the rocks.  
Fili stifled a grin and pushed himself further, trying to at least keep up halfway with Kili, which was proving to be difficult. How was a human supposed to keep up with a merman?

Kili laughed, the sound resonating with the water again as he touched the rock and leant against it grinning, waiting for Fili to finish. It was easy to win a human in swimming.

Fili reached the rock formation only after another half a minute, resurfacing with a gasp. Breathlessly, he grinned at Kili before he bowed his head. "Knew I wouldn't stand a chance."  
Kili chuckled at him shaking his head lightly. "No one can." He smiled relaxing in the sun-warmed rock.

"You're cocky," Fili laughed and stretched out, pulling himself out of the water to lie down on the rock and let the sun warm his back. With a content sigh, he closed his eyes.

"You knew you didn't stand a chance." Kili replied amused, his fin moving with the gentle current.  
"Your point being?" Filli turned his head into Kili's direction but didn't open his eyes.  
"I have a right to be...cocky." Whatever the heck it meant. Kili smiled at him, circling the rock with lazy movements.

Fili snorted, the perked up when he heard a voice in the distance. He cocked his head to the side before cursing, quickly mentioning for Kili to hide himself behind the rock. "Over here, uncle! Wait, I'll come to you!" Fili quickly slid back into the water and looked to Kili. "I'll be back tomorrow." Quickly, he swam back to the shore, greeting Thorin's frown with a grin.

Kili slid behind the rock quickly, peeking around it carefully as he watched Fili return to the other human and frowned a little. Something about the other human made him feel uneasy. But Fili promised to be back tomorrow so he grinned a little as he dove back under the water.

Fili knew had been wondering about his recent behavior but he didn't comment nor did he explain himself. But he did spend the evening talking with Thorin, making his uncle laugh and smile and relax a bit to reassure himself. On the next day, many crew members went to the other side of the small island to fish in the small sweetwater lake they had discovered but Fili went back to his swimming spot, varrying with him a small bag filled with some cheese and some dried sausages. He was curious if Kili would enjoy eating those.

Kili was already waiting for him, swimming at the area where the rocks were and keeping himself mostly hidden till Fili would arrive. He was actually looking forward to meet the human again, something that had never happened before.

Fili quickly stripped off his shirt before wading into the water, looking around curiously. When his sight fell onto a mop of long brown hair near the rocks, he grinned and, holding the small bag above the water, waded over to Kili.  
Kili surfaced just in time to see Fili approach and he felt his lips stretch into a happy smile as he waved to the blonde.

Fili returned the wave and came to a stop in front of Kili, holding out the bag to him. "Here. I wasn't sure if you're going to be able to eat this but I tried to pick something you might be able to eat."

Kili tilted his head confused and took the bag carefully, hesitating before opening it. The smell was delicious, even if odd and he looked back at Fili curiously.  
"Go on." Fili laughed. "It's not alive anymore so it's not going to jump out and bite you. It's cheese and dried sausage."

Kili brought a small piece of the dried sausage up and sniffed it before taking a tentative bite. His expression immediatlély twisted in one of disqust and he dumped the piece in the water.

Fili chuckled and picked up his own piece, taking a large bite out of it. "I can see that you don't like the sausage then. What about the cheese?"

Kili took the weird clumb of yellow thing in his hand, it smelt more powerful but when he took a bite, he was surprised to discover it wasn't that bad. He handed the bag back to Fili and kept nibbling the piece of cheese.

Smiling, Fili took the bag and put it down on a rock to keep it out of the water. He was amused that Kili prefered the cheese to the sausage but then again with Kili, the surprises never ended.

"Tastes funny." Kili commented nipping the cheese, his head tilted slightly to the side as he gazed at Fili.  
"But good, right?" Fili liked cheese as well but if Kili enjoyed his first cheese, Fili wasn't about to keep him from it. With a yawn, he flopped down on his back, letting himself float again.

Kili nodded his head in agreement and kept nipping the food, his gaze floating back at the sky with a smile. He liked this, a moment of peace with Fili. And it was a nice, peaceful moment. They weren't completely comfortable with each other yet, Fili knew. But... He glanced over to Kili and smiled. He really enjoyed being around Kili. Very much so.

Kili caught Fili's eye, caught him staring at him and he could feel his face heat up unexpectly. He blinked bringing a hand on his cheeks, a slightly panicked look on his face, like he didn't know what was happening. "Am I burning up? Can the sun burn me up?" He asked fearfully, glancing up at the sky again. Not many merfolk spent their time on surface like Kili did, and he hadn't even thought of the possibility that the sun could hrut him.

Fili laughed and had to stop floating so he wouldn't drown. Soon, his laughter died down into snickers and he shook his head. "It's called blushing. The blood in your body rushes to your face, that's all. It might be because of the sun though since it is getting warm. Have you never had a sunburn before? Stayed out in the sun for too long and had your skin turn red and it would proceed to itch pretty terribly?"

Kili's fingers danced on his cheeks and he frowned as he felt the heat of them under his fingertips. "Why is it happening? This...blushing thing?" He asked curiously, before shaking his head negative to Fili's question.

"I don't know. Maybe you're embarrassed. Maybe you're happy. Maybe you're angry. Blushing can happen for a lit of different reasons," Fili explained and grinned at Kili, mirth in his eyes. Stars above, the merman was cute.

"It hasn't happened before." Kili said confused, finally lowering his hands from his face and threw a puppy look at Fili. "Is it permanent?"  
Fili could feel his heart beat faster a little bit and he quickly shook his head. "No. It'll go away after a while, don't worry about it. Sunburn, on the other hand, can last for a couple of days."

Kili nodded in understanding relieved, relaxing a little with a huff. Fili seemed to bring out sides of him he wasn't even aware he had. It was kinda scary yet exciting at the same time.

Fili looked up into the sun until his sight blurred. With a sigh, he let himself sink beneath the water and let the waves gently cradle him. He'd always liked water. Yes, the ocean had always made him weary. But rivers and lakes had cast a spell on him and he loved diving just below the surface. His lips formed a small smile as he closed his eyes.

When Fili closed his eyes, Kili took the oppoturnity to really look at the human. Blonde hair that his fingers kinda itched to touch, surprisingly gentle eyes, something he hadn't seen on a human before. Tanned skin, well formed, and lips that looked so smooth and soft.

Fili stayed beneath the water for as long as he could and then finally resurfaced, pushing his hair away from his face. That had felt nice. With a yawn, he stretched and then blinked at Kili.

Kili blinked back at him, feeling the heat on his face just grow hotter as he coughed and slid a little under the surface to hide himself. Fili raised an eyebrow but didn't comment, swimming a bit more towards the shallow parts so he could lie down on the sand with only his face above the water. He did pick the spot behind the rocks though so Kili could join him if he wanted to, without having to worry about being found.

Kili was thankful when he realized just why Fili laid in such a sheltered place, and after swimming under the surface for a little while he emerged next to Fili and propped his elbows in the sand, enjoying the sun on his skin.

Fili stretched out with a happy noise, opening his eyes just enough to look at Kili. A part of him wished to stop time, to capture this moment forever. Swallowing, Fili lifted his head. "May I touch your fin or is that... not good?"

Kili blinked, looking at him surprised by the question and glanced down at his fin. He figured the fin was as weird to humans as legs were for him, but somehow to let a human he still didn't properly trust touch the vulnerable part of his body made him fidgety, so he shook his head with a sad smile.

Fili nodded, accepting the answer and closed his eyes again. That was fine, there were boundaries after all they weren't ready to cross. Perhaps later when... when what? They'd become friends? Merfolk and humans lived in harmony? Fili wanted to snort and sigh at the same time.

Kili looked around at the approaching sound of humans getting closer and he let out the tiniest whines as he hurried back under the surface, diving around the huge rock. Fili blinked and looked up, not having expected anyone to show up. He tensed but thankfully, Kili had already scurried away to hide behind the rocks. "Back so soon?" He asked the others and ran a hand through his hair.

The others nodded laughing and joking, pushing Fili playfully and calling him a princess since he laid all day up in the sun again. Kili bit his lip, slowly moving further away from the small gang.

Fili laughed and joked with them, jostling around with them for a little bit to show them that he wasn't a princess. He just hoped they wouldn't scare Kili off entirely but it would be much safer for his friend if he left now.

Kili took off with as silent movements as he could, and not watching where he was swimming in haste to get away, he got tangled in yet another net, a small shriek escaping his lips under the water as he fought himself free.

Fili tensed when the muffled, small shriek reached his ears. The others looked mostly confused but Fili was tense, looking out to the sea and trying to find out what was going on with Kili.

No, no no no no- Kili fought the net, trying to use his hands and teeth to free himself from the unforgiving net. The pull was too familiar, his mind flashing to the time Fili pulled him up but this was different, this wasn't Fili pulling him up. Now that he looked around franctically, he realized that the net was placed just on his swimming route, spread across it like...like it was meant to catch him.

His heart dropped in his stomach, eyes slipping close as he curled into himself in realization.

Fili had betrayed him.

**Comments are appreciated~**


	5. Chapter 5

"No." Fili looked to the deck and saw Thorin and Dwalin pulling up the net. With a gasp, he grabbed his dagger and started sprinting into the water but Bofur was pulling him back to the shore, away from Kili. Fili's mouth went dry. "Thorin, no! Uncle, let him go!"  
But he could see the better resolution on Thorin's face and no matter how much he struggled, Bofur would not let Fili go. Ultimately, he was dragged along to the ship, kicking and cursing and looking out to the spot where he could see Kili struggling.

Kili did his best to pull back from the humans immediately when he was at the dock, his fin hitting the wood with strong slaps as he seethed and hissed if they tried to come too close. He recognized the older man, the same man who had been with Fili.

Fili who now was...he was missing. Gone. Kili's heart sunk in his stomach as he came to realize that Fili had sold him out. He had earned Kili's trust and used it against him. He should have known better.

"Dwalin, take care of this," Thorin said, eyes dark with anger as he glared at the merman when he was finally pulled on land and went over to drag Fili below deck.

Dwalin stared down at Kili and proceeded to wrap the net more tightly around the merman. "Finally got you. Took long enough."

"How could you?!" Kili cried out, not sure if Fili heard or not, but his voice was filled with betrayal and pain. He let out a mournful noise, his fin lashing out at the man tying him down.

Ki-" Fili couldn't even finish the word. Thorin had grabbed his shoulder with one hand and given him a hard smack against his cheek with the other. The wind was knocked out of Fili for a second and Thorin used the moment to push Fili into his cabin, practically a stormcloud of a man. "You will not see that monster again. He's going to eat you, Fili! They always do!"

Fili gaped at Thorin and cradled his cheek in both hands. Then the anger came. "He wasn't going to do anything of that sort! We were just talking, uncle, let him go, he's not the monster you think he is-"

Thorin slammed a hand against the doorframe and snarled. "He's seduced you!" Glaring as Fili, Thorin's hand balled into a fist. "With his voice and sweet promises and charm! And you've fallen for it, stupid boy! But-" His gaze softened only for a split second. "I will protect you, like I promised your mother."

Then he whirled around and locked the door behind him. The only thing left to do for Fili was to shout and pound at the door, grabbing the doorknob and twisting it desperately. He needed to get out to save Kili.

Above deck, one of the sailors poked Kili with a long stick, grinning widely. "Aye, finally found ya. Been aware of ya since yer nearly drowned th'boy. And now that we've got'ya, we won't let anythin' happen to anyone else again, nosir!"

Kili twisted as he was poked at, like some sort of leech or worse and he snarled fighting against the net. "I saved his life back then! He was nearly drowning, and I saved him!"

"'s not what I heard," the man said and smirked. Thorin had told them what happened and there was no way Thorin had made a mistake. "Pretty much dragged him under and threatened to eat him, aye?" Laughing, the sailor crouched down in front of Kili and poked him with the stick some more, aiming specifically for him fin and stomach.

"I promised him I wouldn't do that, unless he made a mistake." Kili threw him a hard glare, suddenly lifting his fin up and catching the man by surprise with the hard slap. "Which he obviously has made now."

The sailor stumbled back groaning. With a snarl, he launched himself forward and began tearing at the net, scratching and hitting Kili's upper body. "You little shit-!" Several crewmembers were about to move in and pull the man back.

Kili threw the man a hard, cold smirk that let the crew know he had made his last mistake. Ignoring the pain he was feeling, he let out a screeching sound and sunk his teeth on the man's neck, blood spilling on the deck. Holding him tight in his hold, Kili braced his arms on the edge of the dock and flipped him and the man both down into the water.

The man went down with a shriek.

Kili held the man between his teeth, the coppery taste making him feel a little ill as the man struggled the best he could. Crimson red pooled on the surface of the water, alongside with bubbles that soon disappeared. As soon as the man stopped moving, his body convulsing few times, Kili let him go and sunk on the bottom of the ocean with a silent, mournful noise. He had been stupid, he had been so, so stupid. His chest hurt both physically and mentally and he curled into himself sobbing.

Inside his cabin, Fili stopped banging his by now bleeding fists against the door and turned around, giving the windowless wall a terrified look. A shriek and a splash. Had they stabbed Kili? Had they cut him open and pushed him back into the water to get eaten by sharks? Again, he started banging on the door. "Uncle! Let me out!"

Thorin was refusing to open the door. Fili continued to beat his fists against it a little while longer before he sank to the ground, squeezing his eyes shut. This was all his fault. If he'd been more careful, if he hadn't tried to engage Kili and befriended him- Fili stared down at his bleeding hand. They hurt but it was nothing compared to the bitterness spreading through his chest. He swallowed a couple of times before the tears fell.

What felt like an eternity passed until Thorin opened the door. Fili scrambled upstairs, pushing past everyone. The puddle of blood made his heart twist inside his chest and he sank down again. No false reassurances which were passing Thorin's lips were making him feel better. Only Bofur, who snuck into his room hours later and explained what had occured on deck, made him feel better. At least Kili was alive. But at what cost?

Bilbo took care of Kili, of the wounds and bruises on his chest but even he couldn't heal a broken heart. He could only watch Kili mourn silently to himself, his anger towards the humans growing with each passing day that they stayed there. He didn't move, he didn't sleep.

Kili was hurt beyond imagination and he was absolutely furious towards himself. Why did he let himself hope and dream? Why did he trust someone who walked with two legs? Someone with a warm smile and gentle eyes? He mourned again, singing about the depths of broken dreams.

Every night, Fili walked on the ship's deck like a ghost, listening, hoping and waiting. He tried calling for Kili until his voice cracked and Thorin forced him to go back to bed. He felt like he deserved nothing less than the worst. He had betrayed Kili's trust. It had been difficult for both of them to build up trust but right now, there was probably nobody who Kili hated more than Fili.

It didn't take long for Fili to make his decision. If Kili wasn't going to come to him, Fili was going to go and find him. In the middle of the night, he got into the small boat tied to the side of their ship and rowed back, as close to the island as he could manage. There, Fili took one last look around before diving into the water, determined to find Kili.

Kili knew when it happened. He had been around Fili in water so much, it was like a missing piece coming home. Expect this was so, so much more different. With a seeth and a quick flap of fin, Kili swam his way over where the water surface had been broken, and it didn't take him long to find Fili. He stopped a safe distance away from him, his eyes blazing with hatred and his whole posture ready to lunge at him.

Fili dove down, looking into every crevice he coudl find, everything that looked like it would make a good hiding spot. Then he felt the presence, felt like he was being watched. Despite the fact that he should have gone back to the surface to get another lungful of oxygen, Fiili tried to find the presence, knowing that it had to be Kili.

He felt the pressure start to build in his ears and behind his eyes but we didn't care, he had to find Kili, had to apologize and- The current which grabbed him was entirely unexpected, it carried Fili along for a violent ride, smacking him against rocks and far too soon, Fili was dizzy, disoriented and breathless. He could feel his body relax even as he struggled to stay awake, weakly trying to get out of the current. He still... still had... to...

Kili watched helplessly as Fili was being smaked around by the current, and even if he now wished for the man to die, he didn't want him to do that without knowing how much pain he had caused Kili. So he swam to him, grabbing his arm again and quickly made his way to the small cavern underground that he knew had a sand patch and air pocket where Fili would easily survive a couple of days. He dumped his body on the sand and pulled away.

Fili started coughing up water almost instantly, retching and coughing and shivering. How was he... alive? Weakly, his eyes started around the cave until it landed on a familiar face. "Ki-" Fili winced and curled up tighter. His throat hurt. His head hurt. Everything hurt. But Kili, Kili seemed fine. There were visible bruises and Fili had never seen someone look so betrayed but at least... Kili was alive.

Kili's lips pulled in a thin line as Fili tried to call his name. No more. Not anymore. "I'm not falling for that trick anymore." Kili murmured silently, but his voice held power, venom in them. "I trusted you, I told you about my family. Should have known better. All humans are the same." He hissed, the water splashing angrily around him.

"It's not- that's not what I wanted-" Fili coughed again and squeezed his eyes shut. After the coughing fit was over, he continued to lay there, curled up and exhausted. He wanted to explain everything to Kili, explain that everything had utterly and completely gone wrong. But he couldn't form the words. "S-so sorry, 'm sorry..."

It was cold and he was wet and the cave was way too damp. Kili's eyes, once so warm and welcoming, were now dark with hate and disdain and Fili could see Kili's sharp teeth every time the other spoke up.

"You hurt me, more than you think." Kili continued, feeling like his heart was breaking again at the miserable sight Fili made. "I could have easily let you drown, but this is better. You can't reach the surface without dying, you're not quick enough." Was all he said before looking around meaningfully. "I'd say four days and you'll be dead."

Fili closed his eyes. So that was to be it then? Dying of dehydration in a cave in the ocean? Ironically, it was fitting for what had ended up with Kili. And yet, he didn't want to give up. He wanted, needed to explain himself but his tongue felt like a slug inside his mouth. "Please, lemme-... explain..."  
But he couldn't even push himself up. He hadn't been eating well those last couple of days and now his entire body was protesting. Swallowing a whole lot of saltwater was making Fili's stomach feel like it was filled with lava and before he could get another word out, he whimpered and turned his back to Kili. He didn't want the other to see his miserable condition.

"There's nothing to explain." Kili said coldly, ignroing the pain in his chest, the small part in his head that kept screaming at him to help Fili. But he couldn't do it. Fili had betrayed him, had let him be caught and be hurt, and to no doupt be killed as well if he hadn't been able to escape. "And to think...I started to.." He shook his head, the cave momentarly filled with a clear, sorrowful sound before he left, disappearing beneath the surface.

The noise was like a punch to the face. Fili forced himself up, reached out to where Kili had been but the merman was long gone. He let his trembling hand fall and curled back up on the ground with a wheezy noise. A large part of him acknowledged that he deserved it. That it wasn't wrong that Kili was trying to get his revenge like this, Fili would have been more than hurt as well. Was also hurt. But the other part of him wanted to live. Wanted to breathe proper air again and walk along the shore and- But no. This would depend entirely on Kili from now on.

Kili wiped the tears away from his chin, purposelly swimming his way out to the ship where it still was docked and surfaced nearly beside it, using his fin to rise a little above the surface. "You fools. Your ignorance and disbelief is the cause of the loss of your man."

Footsteps founded on the deck and soon, Thorin was glaring down at Kili. "Where is he?! Where did you take him?!" He was absolutely livid and worried. Dis had entrusted him with her son and now he was gone. And it was this merman's fault, this... fish's fault. Thorin snarled.

"Somewhere your filthy hands can't reach." Kili seethed back at him, his eyes flaming with anger. "Had you believed I meant no harm to Fili, or your crew, he would have survived." He added, a mix of sadness and regret clouding his face before he pulled up the mask again.

"You monster!" Thorin nearly jumped into the water but Dwalin managed to grab him and pulled him back just in time. "Give him back! He's not yours to keep!" He was worried sick and half-convinced that Fili was already dead. Guilt was gnawing at him. If he'd only noticed Fili's new interest sooner... if he'd stopped it earlier then his nephew would still be around.

"Who is the real monster here?" Kili asked, his fingers running through his hair. "Humans, who eat us, our brothers, our family...or us, who drown you in order to protect what's ours." He threw a look up at the deck before relaxing his fin and slid easily back under the surface.

The answer was clear to Thorin. "You are. You who croon your voices at innocent children to eat them. You who lure in sailors who have only the sea left." He wanted to say more but he stopped and glared balefully at Kili's disappearing head.

Then he closed his eyes and took a shuddering breath. Another relative lost to the sea. How many more would it take?


	6. Chapter 6

Kili lasted for 2,5 days with the guilt and pain eating him inside. The thought of Fili lying in that cavern, to wilt away and die there had him nearly throwing up in worry, and realize he couldn't go through with it. Even if Fili tried to get him killed, he couldn't do that to Fili. Not to his smile, not to his sunny personality.  
He couldn't kill someone who was so full of life. Regretfully he swam to the cave, surfacing in the airhole.

Fili didn't know for how long he'd been in this cave already. The hours melted together and the hunger and thirst came and went. He didn't even try drinking the seawater, he knew it was the worst possible thing he could do. The salt in the water would dry him out even faster.

The lack of food made his head spin and his sight blurry and when Kili surfaced, Fili was leaning back against the wall, legs drawn up to his chest as he tried to get some sleep. The noise of water splashing made Fili look up. For a second, he couldn't comprehend that Kili was here, then he inhaled sharply and slowly stretched out his legs. His smile was week and shaky as he greeted Kili. "Hello."

Kili made a sorrowful noise again, his heart clenching at the sight Fili made. It was his fault, all his fault, he realized as he bit his bottom lip to stop it from quivering. "...How are you feeling?"

"Thin." Fili cleared his throat and rubbed his eyes tiredly. It would only get worse as the days would pass, he knew. "For how long have I been in here?" Time. Time would help. At least he'd be able to figure out how much longer this torture would take.

"Nearly three days." Kili replied silently, rubbing his neck slowly. Fili even sounded horrible, his voice no longer full of joy and bright. Of course it wasn't, his voice wouldn't be either if he was locked up like this. He bit his lip harder before making his decision and dove under the surface again.

Fili closed his eyes, all hope leaving him when Kili disappeared again. But three days. Humans could survive a week without water so... He felt like crying. But that wouldn't do now, would it? It wasn't as if Kili had looked any less miserable. This was gnawing at him, too. But maybe it would give him the push he'd need to kill Fili a little faster. There was so much Fili still wanted to explain but there apparently was no time.

_What do humans even eat?_ Kili thought desperately as he searched the ocean for something edible for Fili. He'd need clean water as well. Frustrated with himself, he didn't find anything else to do than to return to the ship, informing his arrival with a serie of clicking and whistling noises, knowing he was taking the risk of being shot to death in sight.

Luckily Bofur was the one who glanced over the railing his time. Thorin had disappeared below the decks and hadn't shown up again. When Bofur's gaze met Kili's, he shot the other a puzzled look. "Ye again?"

Kili nodded his head, swaying a little to stay still. "He needs food and water to survive the trip back to the surface." Kili said tilting his head, his other hand motioning to the bottom of the ocean. "I have nothing edible for a human to eat."

Bofur frowned. "So he's alive then?" Then Kili hadn't been lying. But how- Never mind. What mattered right now was getting Fili back. "Hold on." He quickly marched over to the kitchen below the deck and filled a flask with clear drinking water, making sure to fill it to the brim before forcing the cork inside.  
What would survive a trip through the salty water... Finally, Bofur settled on an orange and some air dried meat. Quickly, he but it into a bag and rushed back to the deck.

Kili was waiting patiently, his eyes shifting alongside the dock in case someone else would come and wouldn't be as friendly as this human seemed to be. "He's alive, but weak. I can't...I can't do it to him...I just can't." Kili said shaking his head, eyes misting with tears again. "He'd deserve it, but I can't."

"Yer a good lad," Bofur said quietly as he tied a rope around the bag and started to lower it into the water. "But do ye really believe that he sold ye out?" The bag hit the water and Bofur sighed and waited for Kili to untie the knot.

Kili's fingers worked quickly to untie the knot and take the food against himself silently. "It seems like it." He looked up at the human with a sad smile. "But who am I to say. I'm just a monster." He gave the human a small wave before making his way back to Fili, clutching the food and water against his chest.

Bofur shook his head as he watched the merman swim away. Thorin had spoken out of anger and this merman was still young. Still hopeful. Still naive, like Fili. Perhaps them growing closer wouldn't be a bad thing at all.

Kili resurfaced into the cave, a small whimper escaping his lips as he took in Fili's condition once again and he hesistantelly swam closer. "...Fili?"

Fili raised his head. Kili was coming closer. His mouth went even drier and he shuffled closer to the edge, wincing when his legs scraped over the rocky ground. "Kili. Can... can you stay? I need to... to explain... Please." His heart was beating faster in his chest again. He hoped desperately that Kili wouldn't turn him away, wouldn't disappear again.

"Wait." Kili shook his head, his heart clenching painfully again as Fili moved closer despite the danger, despite everything. It was like the human had given up already. "I...I brought you something." He said lifting the flask of drinking water and the plastic bag with the orange and dried meat and pushed them on the sand, over to Fili.

Fili stared at the flask and the fruit, not comprehending. Did Kili want to keep him here in the cave for even longer? Did he want him to lose his mind? Fili's chest seized and he scrambled back a bit, shaking his head. "No. I'm sorry but... but no. Please don't make me eat this, Kili."

Kili looked confused for a moment and he shook his head again, pushing the nutricion closer to Fili. "Please." He pleaded, nudging the bag with his fingers. "You're weak, you can't survive to the surface unless you eat."

Fili opened his mouth, then closed it. He licked his lips and eyed the bag once more. The surface? Was Kili planning on letting him go? But why? He hadn't even had time to explain. "I want to explain first. Then..." He know he was being stupid, incredibly so. Kili was giving him the chance to live but he didn't feel like taking it. Not yet. "Then you can decide if you still want to... take me to the surface."

Kili scoffed silently, his fin hitting the surface of the water. Stupid, stubborn humans. "At least drink a little, you sound horbbile." Kili stated determined.

Fili reached for the bag with a nod, pulling out the flask. Greedily, he took a couple of large gulps of the cold water, the water was incredibly refreshing and soon Fili cleared his throat, gaze focusing on Kili, lips quirking up. "Better?"

Kili nodded his head in approval, his hands resting on the sand as he played with the grains slowly. "I should get rid of you. I should keep you here to suffer.." He sighed silently. "But I couldn't. I can't do it"

"Kili..." Fili put the flask down and scooted a little closer but made sure to give Kili some space still. "I'm sorry. I didn't know they'd noticed you. I didn't know they were planning on capturing you. I would have helped you out otherwise. And I tried to help you when they captured you but-" No. There really was no excuse for not trying harder.

"You were?" Kili asked hesistantelly, looking up at Fili unsure, his heart fluttering nervously. He wanted to believe so badly, he wanted it all to be true, but he still was hurt, betrayed and he couldn't just let Fili back inside him like that.

"You're important to me." Fili said seriously and returned Kili's stare. After a few seconds, he wobbled and had to rearrange his body into a more stable position. "I thought... think of you as my friend. I don't sell my friends out."

Kili noticed the wobbling and made a distressed sound, pushing the bag closer to Fili, silently pleading him to eat. "...I don't know, Fili." He said quietly, lowering his gaze on the water and nibbled the inside of his cheek. "Eat now, I'll help you get back to your humans."

Fili nodded and pulled out the orange first. He needed something sweet to get his blood going again. Silently, he peeled it and devoured it, feeling his stomach protest at the sudden addition of food. "Thank you." He did miss them. Even Thorin, despite the fact that his uncle had overreacted. He only worried.

Kili nodded slowly, letting him know it was alright as he succumbed back into silence and waited for Fili to eat and strenghten up. The way to the surface wasn't long for him, and he could easily pull Fili with him. But it did help if the human would be a little stronger as well.

Fili quickly got rid of the meat as well, soon feeling better. His hands stopped shaking and he finally pushed himself to stand up as much as he could in the small cave. Then he looked to Kili and felt something twist in his chest again. He wanted to reach out and touch Kili's cheek, to reassure him that it was alright but... He shook his head and crouched down to let his legs dangle into the water.

"Are you ready?" Kili asked, feeling surprisingly relieved that Fili was moving on his own now, seeming a lot better than half a hour ago. "It's going to be a slightly long way up, so you better get as much air as you can."

Fili nodded completely slid into the water, gasping slightly at the coldness of it. Then he took a couple of quick breaths before turning to Kili and nodding. "Ready." He took in a deep breath and held his nose closed, just in case, before he allowed himself to sink below the water.

Kili was quick to take a hold of Fili's hand and squeeze it in his own, leading them out of the cave. He didn't dare to go full speed in worry that he'd lost his grip of the human, but he still swam quicker than an average human would and glanced at Fili worried.

Fili tried to help Kili as best as he could but the pressure on his ears hurt and made his head pound again. But he kept his hands clasped tightly with Kili's, kicking his legs to keep up with the merman. For now, he was still doing fine on air and the surface didn't seem too far away.

Fili panted when they finally broke the surface, practically drinking in the crisp air and the sunrays warming his cheeks. After almost three days of dim light, the run seemed a little too bright and he blinked several times, then yelped when his arm was grabbed and he found himself getting hauled onto the ship.

Thorin himself had half jumped over the railing, holding on to it with only a hand, using the other to pull Fili up. Relieved, Fili wrapped his arms around Thorin's shoulders and held on, quietly whispering into Thorin's ear. "Let him be. Please, uncle."

Thorin pushed Fili into Bofur's waiting arms before he turned back around to face Kili, glowering down at the merman. He looked stiff and cautious but utterly happy to have his nephew back. "...Leave. Now."

"You won't see me again." Kili promised with a sorrowful tone, flicking his eyes from the human back to Fili. "It's for the best, Fili. This is where you belong. Not playing in the water with someone like me." His eyes filled with tears that he didn't even try to hide this time, and his smile was heartbroken. "I won't forget you."

Fili pushed away from Bofur and scambled to the railing, holding onto it as he stared down to Kili and quickly shook his head. "No, Kili, don't-!" But Thorin was already pulling him away again. Fili cursed and struggled. He needed to- He jammed his hands into his pocket and pulled out his mother's locket, throwing it over the railing.

"You're going to give that back to me one day. Personally and face to face." He only hoped that Kili would take this seriously because Fili did want to see him again. He'd had more fun playing around in the water with someone like Kili, as he'd put it, than climbing around on ships and in ports all day.

Kili blinked as the object flew through the air, and gathering strenght in his fin he jumped out of the water, catching the locket mid-air and gracefully landed back in the water with a huge wave and noise. He clutched the locket against his chest, his heart beating rapidly as he cried silently, the voice echoing like an eerie song.

Fili finally let Thorin pull him below deck without resisting, quietly letting himself get wrapped in sheets and blankets. Soon, he was swinging back and forth in his hammock, Kili's sorrowful song echoing in his ears.

Only then did he allow himself to weep, finally realizing why he'd felt so attached to the merman.


	7. Chapter 7

It took time to heal. Fili spent the days after Kili had left in his room, wishing the other was here right now with his songs and words and mischief. With his sharp teeth and his full lips and his cheerful laughter. The weeks after their departure, he felt more like a shadow of himself than anything else.

Months later and he was finally climbing around on the ship again, laughing with the others but he glanced out to the ocean more than he used to, skimming the surface for a familiar face. It was even hotter by now, autumn had passed and summer was fast approaching and it was when Fili's freckles refused to disappear from his face that Thorin allowed them to rest on the same abandoned island where they'd captured Kili.

Where Fili had spent hours laughing with his new friend.

Kili wore the locket around his neck for weeks, for months. It was the only visible reminder he had of Fili, of the human who had befriended him, of a human who made him feel and discover things he hadn't felt before.  
He didn't see Fili anymore. He didn't search for the human, after all...he had promised not to. That didn't mean that he wouldn't mourn though.

He swam around the ocean, his songs of lost friendship, lost heart and missing pieces echoing under the waves and above the surface. He cried sometimes to himself, and no matter what he did he couldn't get the blonde out of his head.

Until one day when Kili did his usual swmming routine around the island, he noticed something that had his heart skipping a beat. Kili would recognize the ship anywhere. It made him feel uneasy as he stared it from the bottom of the ocean, Bilbo frowning a little at him. "You know it's a bad idea, right?" He asked silently and Kili nodded. He knew it was. He couldn't be seen or the humans would kill him for sure.

"Come on, let's go." Kili murmured silently, glancing over at Bilbo who however had already swam towards the surface to take a peek on his own and Kili cursed chasing after him.

Fili had been wandering a little ways away from the ship. Thorin was finally allowing him out of his sight again and Fili wanted to take full advantage of that by going swimming at the spot he'd spent much time spashing around with Kili. The sound of something breaking the surface made Fili turn around, hope blooming in his chest but the merman that surfaced was unfamiliar. Short haired and round eyed, he was nothing like Kili.

He tensed and watched the merman cautiously. Just because he was friends with Kili, it didn't mean that every merman also considered him a friend. Wearily, he waited for Bilbo to react, hands staying far away from his weapons. For now. "Fili." He quietly called out, introducing himself. He even managed a small smile. "At your service."

"I know who you are." Bilbo responded, his voice softer and gentler than Kili's was. "My brother has spoken about you a lot." Bilbo looked up curiously, for the first time ever able to look at the human that had stolen his half brother's heart. He knew who he was, Kili had been talking about him so much it felt like he knew him.

Fili blinked, a sudden yearning in his chest. "You're Kili's half brother? How is he? Is he doing alright?" He didn't dare ask if Kili was dead. He was afraid the answer was going to be yes.

"He's...alright. He's alive. He's been miserable though." Bilbo replied honestly, his hazel eyes taking in the sight of the ship curiously.

Fili let out a sigh of relief. Kili was alive. Miserable, apparently, but alive. Then he followed Bilbo's gaze and quickly shook his head. "Don't get too close to the ship, please. Thorin's gotten even more miffed at your folk now, after the misunderstanding with Kili." He paused.

He wanted to ask a million questions at once, say another billion but the only thing that ultimately crossed his lips was this. "Can... could you please tell him that I miss him? Terribly."

Bilbo's smile softened a little at that and he nodded slowly. "Of course. I will tell your regards to him." He tilted his head again, gaze shifting over to a taller, brooder man that had walked silently behind Fili and he smiled hesistantelly. "I should go. Be safe. For him. For you." Bilbo hummed from the back of his throat, noise like honey and the gentle touch of a mother's hand before diving beneath the surface.

Fili took a deep breath, not bothering to turn around. He knew who was standing behind him. "We were just talking, Thorin. Nothing else. Stop worrying. I'm not going to seek them out in their own terrain again." By which he want that he wasn't going to make another attempt at finding Kili and nearly drowning in the currents.

He let Thorin lead him back to the ship, glancing over his shoulder every couple of steps, hoping to catch a glimpse of Kili. But he couldn't see anything and his shoulders slumped. His heart ached. He was willing to give up everything if it meant being with Kili. Of course it was a stupid notion, willing to give up everything for someone who he had fallen head over heels for. And that someone was a merman to boot but... Fili squeezed his eyes shut.

Bilbo returned back to Kili, who was just about to catch up with him. "Bilbo! I told you NOT to go there, not everyone up there are nice." He hissed pulling his brother closer relieved that he was alright, gaze sweeping over his body.  
"He misses you. A lot." Bilbo said silently, Kili tensing in his arms before he whimpered silently, sobbing against Bilbo's shoulder as they mourned together.

Kili staid hidden for most of the night, staying around the ship but still out of sight. It hurt, Fili was so close yet it was so far away and he was suffering.

Bilbo didn't know what to do, it was obviously killing them both, Fili and Kili, and taking the risk he surfaced near the boat, hoping to catch the tall man he had seen earlier, who obviously was a boss of everyone.

Thorin was taking a final round on the deck. He knew Fili was curled up in his hammock and it reassured him. He didn't want to lose his nephew again, not like this. A sound from the water made Thorin tense and glare over the railing. That wasn't Fili's merman, it was the one from before and almost instantly, Thorin's hackles went up. "What do you want?"

"To talk." Bilbo replied softy, glad he caught the man alone. He knew how humans acted when they were in bigger groups.

"About what?" Thorin set down his lamp on the railing and glared at Bilbo. "If you want to take my nephew from me, I'm afraid I'll have to refuse."

"We don't want to take anyone from anyone." Bilbo replied tilting his head slightly. "All I'm asking is that you let Fili meet with Kili when he wants to. The distance is killing them both, surely you've noticed it?" He asked carefully, fingers sliding in his curls. "He didn't kill him, not treathen him once when they were together. Kili always made sure Fili was in good hands, and he'd rather die than let anything happen to him."

Thorin tensed. But Bilbo was right. The distance was killing Fili who, while he laughed with the men during the day, fought and joked and did a good job, spent his nights curled up near open windows, hoping to catch Kili's song again. "...I will consent to this. But only where I can see them and only near beaches."  
He had wanted to say no. But his nephew was obviously heart broken. Thorin hadn't been kidding when he'd said that he thought Kili had seduced Fili, the boy had obviously lost his heart to the merman. And apparently, it had gone both ways. "No splashing in the deeper waters. Those are my conditions."

Bilbo positively beamed up at the man, his smile wide and filled with hope and warmth towards the human. "You have my thanks and gratitude. My brother will be thrilled to hear this." Honestly, he hadn't even thought he'd get this much, but the thought of getting the two of them together made him excited, his fin splashing on the water and this time when he departed, his song was filled with sun and birds.

Thorin shook his head and turned back around, picking up the lamp as he went. They would see where this would go. Maybe he would regret it. Maybe he wouldn't. But in the end, the decision really was out of his hands.

Thorin walked below the deck and shook Fili awake, giving him a solemn look. "You will get to meet with your merman tomorrow. You will stay in the shallow waters and near the beach and you will not disappear to places where I can't see you anymore. Understood?"

Fili was barely awake and took a minute to fully comprehend what Thorin had said. But when he did, he grinned widely and launched himself at his uncle, thanking him over and over again. He would see Kili again. Would get to hear his song and see his smile and enjoy his presence. Fili laughed and sobbed at the same time. He couldn't wait.

The next day couldn't have come fast enough. Kili was restless, he was touching the locket and the bead both nervously, and he kept swimming in circles around the ship. But finally, finally he could see the sun rise and with a grin to Bilbo, the two of them started to make their way over to the beach. Bilbo following his brother just in case something went wrong.

Above the surface Fili was out of his cabin and off the ship as soon as Thorin had given him a curt nod and a small smile. While his uncle took his spot on the deck, Fili sprinted along the beach. His heart was pounding in his chest and he wouldn't have been able to stop grinning even if he wanted to.

When his bare feet finally hit the water, Fili chuckled softly and waded in until the water reached his calves. Then he looked at the water, trying to find any large shadows that looked very, very familiar.

Kili surfaced with a splutter, pushing the hair away from his eyes and his heart was stuck in his throat again. Fili was there, always smiling, always bright...he was there. He had to grin himself a little, Bilbo smiling at both of them before he swam a little further away to let the two of them have privacy while Kili swam closer to Fili, a joyful song filling the air.

Fili's breath hitched and he launched himself forward until Kili was only a couple of inches away. Then he stopped and reached out with trembling hands. Suddenly, it hit him that he'd never really done more than touch Kili's hands and a little bit of his hair. He hesitated, not sure if he was allowed to touch Kili's upper body. The other really hadn't been comfortable with the idea of his fin getting touched.

Kili didn't care anymore. He had suffered past the half year, he had mourned, cried, and raged in the ocean from the unfairtinity of life and he just didn't care. Because Fili was here, Fili _wanted_ to meet him, wanted to see him and it was more than enough. With a laugh he pushed with his fin, tackling them both into the shallow water, still not blanketing Fili's whole body in turn not to worry the human who was watching over Fili.

Fili yelped when Kili launched himself at him, then laughed when they both fell back into the water. His heart was practically bursting with happiness and he wrapped his arms tightly around Kili's shoulder, holding him close.

There. There is was, that warm, comfortable feeling, like something missing was being returned to him. With a happy murmur, he buried his face in Kili's wet hair. He never wanted to let go again. "Oh gods, Kili, you're back. I missed you, I was worried, I-" He stopped himself and just held Kili more tightly against his chest as he laughed.

"Fili." The name was a purr from Kili's lips, his heart beating faster as he buried his face against the human's shoulder, happy to be held like that. "I thought I'd never see you again." He murmured silently, his voice laced with pain of the loss he had been feeling.

Fili ran a trembling hand over Kili's hair, trying to reassure and comfort him. He knew how the merman had felt, had shared the pain and fear and regret. "I never thought I'd see you again, too. I'd hoped and wished but..." With a wounded noise, Fili pressed the bridge of his nose against Kili's shoulder. "And yet here we are. Don't ever leave again, please."

Kili chuckled silently and shook his head, his voice dying away into a soft, tender song. He lifted himself up suddenly, his hands reaching around his neck and pulled the locket away and over Fili's head, just like he had promised he had to do when they met again.

Fili didn't look away from Kili as the other put the locket back around his neck. It felt heavy around his neck and again, this odd feeling filled Fili. He touched the locket with trembling fingers, tracing it before his eyes darted to the bead in Kili's hair. He smiled at the sight and sighed, reaching for Kili's hands and giving them a small queeze.

"I'm glad to see you again." Kili murmured silently, squeezing Fili's hands back before he grinned with mischief and pulled Fili over on the water laughing. He swam a little further away grinning, using his fin to splash water on Fili.

Fili went down with a yelp, water splashing everywhere. When he resurfaced, the small wave Kili had created his him in the face and he spluttered, then laughed. With a happy gleam in his eyes, Fili swam after Kili, splashing water at him and chasing him around the water.

Kili covered his face laughing, splashing more water on Fili as he tried to cover himself from the splashes Fili directed at him. He didn't remember the last time he felt such glee, such happiness to swim and splash around.

Fili dove under the first splash and quickly dashed to the side to surprise Kili, showering the back of the merman's head with a huge wave. He was very obviously enjoying himself and he couldn't take his eyes off Kili, watching his eyes sparkle and listening to him laugh.

Kili made a noise of surprise, and he twisted his body around laughing, using his fin to catch Fili by surprise and sweep his legs from underneath him.

The wind was knocked out of Fili as he locked his footing but surfaced with a laugh, splashing around a bit. Then, with a sparkle in his eyes he moved in close and blew some ear into Kili's ear before quickly swimming back towards the beach with a laugh.

Kili shuddered with a soft keening noise, catching up with Fili quickly but stayed on the shallow water, leaning against his arms smiling.

Fili stopped a little bit away from the completely dry parts, settling down so the water was lapping at his hips and legs instead. The weather was nice, the water clear and Kili, Kili was finally back, within reach. And still lovely. With his songs and his warm smiles and his playful nature. If he really was being honest, Fili didn't want this to end, didn't want to live without Kili again. The heartbreak was beginning to mend and the affection he was feeling for Kili he felt was stronger than ever.

"It's all because of my brother." Kili said glancing where the other merman was flipping in the air and back to the water nearby the ship, his song filling the air. "Without him talking to the big human, this wouldn't happen."

"He talked to Thorin?" Fili asked and finally, it made sense. Of course Thorin would need a little nudge to give his consent. Grinning, Fili leaned back to look to the ship where Thorin was standing guard. "I'll have to thank your brother later. Uncle really isn't the most... agreeable of people."

"I was surprised that he agreed so easily." Kili admitted as well, now knowing the name of the man who had pulled Fili away from him. "But my brother is gentler, more lovable."

Fili went quiet before he sighed and kicked his legs a little. "I... wasn't doing well after you left. Thorin must have recognized that it would be better for everyone involved if we were allowed to meet again."

"I wasn't doing any better." Kili murmured shaking his head slowly. "Bilbo was really concerned about me."

Fili smiled slightly. "Family, huh?" But at least their families had kicked them into gear and managed to arrange a meeting. "They care." Finally, Fili scooted over to Kili again.

"Surprisingly." Kili smiled back at him, sliding his fingers between Fili's and stared at their hands together. It looked weird in sort, his hand was paler than Fili's was, and it was a little bigger as well but the fit felt right.

Fili blinked at the touch and finally raised Kili's hand. It was cool to the touch and he did a double-take when he realized that Kili's skin was not technically skin but rather many, many tiny scales moving together. They were soft to the touch and felt almost exactly like skin, even if a tad bit rougher. Chuckling, Fili pressed their palms together.

"Is it weirding you out?" Kili asked softly, touching Fili's skin tenderly. It felt a little weird to him since it really was skin. Whole, warm, something he didn't have.

"No." Fili shook his head and let Kili touch to his heart's content. It fascinated him, really. They looked almost exactly the same from their hips up but there were tiny, tiny differences that really made Fili curious. "Should it weird me out?"

"I don't know. Maybe." Kili agreed with a nod, a tiny smile curling on his lips as he looked up at Fili.

"Let me ask this then. Does my skin weird you out?" Fili turned his hand around, palm up.

"No, it just feels different." Kili replied skimming his finger across his palm slowly.

"Then there's your reason for it's not weirding me out." Fili chuckled and reached up to tuck one of Kili's wet hairstrands behind his ear.

Kili looked at him surprised, his cheeks heating up again at the sudden closeness and the touch of Fili's fingers in his hair.

Fili held his breath, then pulled his hand back and cleared his throat. Quickly, he raised his hand again and ruffled Kili's hair instead.

Kili blinked before he chuckled, his own fingers reaching up to return the gesture in Fili's hair. Soft. His hair was so soft. Kili's fingers tangled into them and he smiled shyly.

Fili tilted his head to the side, brushing his cheek against Kili's wrist. Then he grinned. "I don't mind if you touch my hair, Kili. Go ahead."

Kili nodded, sliding his fingers through Fili's hair in amazement. His fingers tangled, tugged gently and played with the golden strands, fingers digging on his scalp gently.

Fili hummed and closed his eyes. The little massage felt nice and he knew that Kili was entertaining himself by playing with Fili's hair. Smiling, he tilted his head forward again so Kili would be able to reach the back more easily.

Kili watched with facination as Fili tilted his head forward, and the whole situation just made him feel warm and fuzzy, like he'd be swimming in middle of the hairy fishes that lived in the very bottom of the ocean.

Fili opened his eyes and glanced to the ship, remembering Thorin's rules. But he desperately wanted to disappear behind some rocks with Kili and- Fili's face flushed and he scratched his neck.

"Are you alright?" Kili asked concerned, tilting his head a little. "Your face is red." He added drawing his lower lip between his teeth worried.

Not helping, Fili thought and stared at Kili's lips. "Yes. I'm fine, it's just the sun." He glanced over to the rock formation again. "Maybe we should go into a made shaded area." But still within Thorin's sight, Fili knew. He didn't want to risk losing his newfound freedom again.

Kili nodded in agreement, afraid of Fili's health as he looked around. Finally he laced their fingers together and pulled Fili a little deeper into the water to get to the two rocks that made a shadow on the water, but was still within Thorin's sight.

Fili happily let himself get dragged along, lazily kicking his feet so Kili wouldn't have to drag him all the way. When they arrived at the rocks, Fili sighed and leaned back against them, enjoying the cool waves lapping at his sides. "Thanks."

Kili smiled at him, leaning against the rock beside Fili. He enjoyed this moment, his eyes closing as he relished on the closeness with Fili.

Fili watched Kili for a few seconds and then, heart hammering in his chest, took Kili's hand again and gave it a small squeeze. "...I really couldn't stop thinking about you."

Kili blinked his eyes open, his fingers curling together with Fili's as he smiled back at him. "I couldn't either. You were in my mind all the time."

Fili's heart leaped into his throat and he smiled widely, leaning his forehead against Kili's shoulder. Then he swallowed. "...may I kiss you?"

Kili tilted his head a little, Fili's forehead a warm pressure on his shoulder. "I...If you first tell me what it means and will it hurt." Kili replied sounding unsure, his fingers still playing with Fili's hair.

You see, merfolks never kissed each other. When it was time to mate the two merpeople would intervine together, producing children pretty much like fishes did. Even if they would find their mate, they never kissed. Just being together brought the same fullfillment in their lives like kissing brought to human.

Fili blinked owlishly at Kili, then nodded, closing his eyes while Kili's fingers played with his hair. "I'm going to touch your lips with my own. That's called kissing. It may involve some minor biting but only very lightly and it's mostly about moving your lips," Fili muttered, cheeks red. "And it could only hurt if you bite down too hard."

For Kili, it sounded a little weird. It was like the silver coin, another one of the humans weird traditions. But if it would please Fili and make him happy, he was just glad to obligie then so he nodded his consent.

Fili's eyes lit up and he almost leaned in but then he quickly stopped. "Wait. You're only supposed to do this with someone you really like."

"Someone you like?" Kili asked tilting his head a little before he chuckled softly. "Fili, I do like you. A lot. ...You make my chest feel all weird." He admitted shyly.

Oh god. Fili groaned and rested his forehead against Kili's shoulder. The merman was almost too cute to handle. And he apparently liked him back, if the 'weird' feeling in Kili's 'chest' was anything to go by.

Finally, Fili pushed himself back and took Kili's hands into his own, rubbing his thumbs over the back to help Kili relax. Then, he leaned in and gently pressed his lips against Kili's.

Kili smiled at Fili nervously as his hand was grabbed, and he had time to swallow before there was Fili's lips against his own and his mind went blank. It felt soft, warm, wet, and so, so good. It sent a shudder through Kili's body, and a small noise escaped between his lips.

Fili didn't push Kili further, just closed his eyes and moved his lips against Kili's for a split second before pulling back. Nervously, he looked at Kili and fidgeted. "Did you enjoy that or...?"

"It.." Kili cleared his throat, his fin twitching a little as he smiled at Fili with positively blazing cheeks. "It felt good.."

Fili laughed softly and leaned back against the rock, the tension draining out of him. "I'm glad to hear that. We could... do more of that later. If you want to."

"I'd like to, yes." Kili was quick to agree, his lips quirking up in a shy smile.

Fili nodded and raised a hand to touch his lips. Kili's lips had been soft but cool and he really, really wanted to touch them again. But he pulled himself back together and stared up at the sky instead.

Kili blinked at the movement Fili made, and brought his fingers to touch his lips as well before smiling at him, glancing at the ship. "I think your human wants you back."

Fili looked over to the ship and groaned. Thorin looked thunderous. Surely, he was in for a lecture now. "He does. I'll see you again soon, Kili. Thorin said we'd stay here for another four days at least."

"I will be around." Kili agreed smiling at him, swimming a little further away to let Fili go in peace. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Fili grinned at Kili and nodded. "Tomorrow," he confirmed and then climed onto the rocked, jumping from one to another until his feet hit the beach again. Then he made his way back to Thorin.

Thorin simply gave Fili such a horrified look that his nephew couldn't help but laugh. "If you don't want to see me kiss him, I suggest you either stop watching us or let us move behind the rocks," Fili said cheekily and disappeared below deck.


	8. Chapter 8

While most people were still asleep, Fili was already up and at the beach. The sun was lazily rising in the distance and Fili watched it for a few seconds before he raise two fingers to his lips and whistled loudly, hoping that the sound would carry.

Kili perked up at the sudden whistle, his head peeking from underneath the surface and a grin splitting his lips when he saw Fili already waiting for him. He didn't seem to be the only one with troubles to stay away. He sang to him, voice carrying to the shore as he swam closer. Fili practically melted when he heard Kili's voice and quickly waded into the water, happy to know that Kili was still nearby and that neither had to wait. Fili smiled at the dark shadow in the water that was Kili and dove beneath the water to meet him.

Kili grinned at the sight, his voice eerie and beautiful under the water as he swam forward, fingers sliding in Fili's hair without hesitation this time. Fili smiled and touched Kili's braid, rolling the bead between his fingers. Then, following an impulse, he turned his head brushed his lips over Kili's wrist, causing the merman blink surprised at the action, smiling shyly at Fili before he surfaced, knowing the human would need air.

Fili followed Kili to the surface, brushing his own wet hair away from his face. Then he smiled and cocked his head to the side. "Morning. Did you sleep well?"  
"I was pretty restless." Kili admitted flapping his fin nervously. "I just kept thinking about you.."

Fili cleared his throat and glanced to the side, embarrassed but also apparently pleased with his newfound knowledge. "Same here." Fili laughed and watched Kili swim in circles around him, the merman obviously pleased. "Anything in particular you feel like doing today?"

"Not really. Swimming. Being with you." Kili smiled at him, catching Fili's hand on his own.  
"Sounds like a good plan," Fili grinned and squeezed Kili's hand. "Should we try looking for seashells?" He pointed to the sandy ground beneath them where some seashells were peeking out.

Kili nodded in agreement, already diving to the slightly deeper part to search for the bigger seashells. Fili busied himself with swimming in the more shallow water, picking up colourful little seashells and collecting them in his pockets.

Kili picked up the bigger shells, cleaning them from the sand humming. Catching the sight of Fili's feet in the water he smirked and swam closer slowly, and taking the seaweed in his hands he slid it up Fili's leg. Fili had been admiring a more colourful seashell when something touched his leg, and with a yelp he jumped to the side, quickly looking down at what had brushed his legs. Seeing only seaweed and Kili's grin, Fili laughed loudly and reached down to ruffle Kili's hair.

Kili smiled innocentally up at him, like he hadn't done anything. The yelp that Fili let out had been absolutely hilarious and he laughed as he surfaced. Fili quickly reached out and tugged at Kili's braid. "Still up to no good," he grinned, obviously not minding Kili's mischievious nature in the slightest.

Kili made a small noise of surprise as Fili tugged his braid/hair, his eyelids fluttering slightly. He reached out for Fili, placing the seashells in Fili's free hand. Fili quickly grasped the seashells and smiled at them. Kili had obviously enjoyed himself while collecting the seashells. Thoughtfully, Fili turned back to the shore. "Kili, do you maybe want to build a sandcastle together?" He knew it was a childish activity and yet...

"A sandcastle?" Kili smiled at him and nodded enhuasticly. "I'd like to." He murmured softly, kicking himself over on the sand so that his fin was the only thing that rested in the water. Fili grinned happily and started piling up some of the sand after putting the seashells down in their small pile. For a while, he enjoyed the peace and quiet, slowly shaping the castle.

"Do you do this a lot?" Kili asked curiously after a while, placing shells on the edge of the castle.  
"I used to, when I was younger. But we spend way too much time at sea now and there's little time for building sandcastles." Fili made little dents in the tops of the towers.

Fili worked tirelessly for a little while longer, then stopped once he was satisfied with how it looked. "Have you ever made a sandcastle before, Kili?"  
"Once, with my brother." Kili admitted smiling and wiped his forehead. "It's been a long time."  
Fili paused, now curious. "How old are you, Kili?"

"I'm eight." Kili said proudly, his hand sliding through his hair. "In human years that'd be...around 17 or 18 years." He mused. Fili almost froze when Kili said eight, giving him a wide eyed look. Oh god. Eight. Yes, 18 in human years but...

"Don't worry about it." Kili laughed at the look on Fili's face, amused by the reaction. "Our timelines are different than yours. We live to be around 20 of our years. That's about 70-80 of yours."

Ah. Fili let out the breath he'd been holding, shoulders slumping slightly. Different counting systems. Right. Good. "That's a pretty long life you all can lead."  
"It depends on wheter we'll be hunted, attacked by sharks or get tangled in nets." Kili counted with his fingers. Fili nodded, flopping back onto the sand to stare up at the sky. "How many actually reach their maximum lifespan via age?"

"About 1/3." Kili replied flopping his fin restlessly in the water. Fili frowned and rolled over onto his stomach, reaching out to take Kili's hand, giving it a brief squeeze. Kili smiled at him softly, squeezing his hand back. "Most of us don't make it even as old as me."

Fili's frown deepened. "But what about having children?" Mulling this over, Fili stroked the thin membrane between Kili's fingers. "You must have them pretty early."  
"At our age of six to up,." Kili agreed with a nod, playing with his fin in the water. "But we've survived this long, so." Fili hummed thoughtfully and watched Kili's tail for a second. "That you have. And I'm happy you have."

Kili smiled at him appreciating, noding in agreement. "So am I...I'm glad I met you." Fili returned the smile and squeezed Kili's fingers. "It's a good thing that we met each other."

Kili smiled in agreement with him, until his eyes sharpened a little and he lifted himself up in his arms, staring into the ocean. Something was wrong. Terribly, horribly wrong.

Fili followed Kili's gaze but couldn't see anything. But something was obviously agitating Kili so he strained to see something in the distance. "Kili? What is it?"

"Something's..." Kili frowned squinting his eyes again before he heard it. A howl, a scream, a sound so beautifully heartbreaking that it broke Kili's heart. "Bilbo!" Now he could see the other ship in the distance.

Fili was on his feet instantly. He couldn't hear the scream but he didn't need another nudge into the right direction. "Did they capture him?"

"They have my brother!" Kili seethed, his teeth glinting in the sun as he took off, diving head first into the water and started to swim towards the ship.

"Kili, wait-!" But the merman was already gone. Fili cursed under his breath as he sprinted towards the ship, rousing Thorin with his banging. "Uncle, quick! We need to set sails and get to a nearby ship! They have Bilbo!"

Thorin frowned as he got up and put on his shoes. "I don't care much for the merman, Fili, and can't understand your obsession with them."  
Fili rolled his eyes. "It's the government ship we were waiting for, most likely. So stop acting like you don't want to do this and get a move on, I'll get the others!" With that, Fili was off. Thorin grunted and narrowed his eyes before quickly making his way on deck. Really, his nephew could be way too pushy and rude.

Kili didn't hesitate to catch up with the ship, all he could think about was how he'd lost his younger brother before and how he was not going to let that happen to Bilbo as well. He finally saw him, curled into the nets in a mess and making noises that seized Kili's heart. With a snarl he leaped up from the water, attaching himself on the net and started to bite the hard string.

A little further away Fili finally kicked the crew into motion and they set sails. It was slow going at first but then Thorin navigated them into the right winds and they picked up speed. The government ship was coming into view more and more and the crew got read for the impact. Fili saw Kili and Bilbo struggle near the front of the ship and pointed it out to Thorin, who moved the ship a little bit to the side so the merfolk wouldn't get squished between the two ships. Hopefully, the ship pulling Bilbo up would get so distracted and shaken that they'd forget about the merman.

Kili turned his head surprised as the other ship approached them, and he was ready to defend his brother's body with his own. Bilbo's voice was miserable and fearful, his eyes wide and misty with tears as Kili howled digging back on the net.

The impact shook both ships terrible but several of Thorin's crew managed to jump over to the other ship. Quickly, the rest were working on locking the ships together but Fili had his eyes set on another prize. He tied a rope to the railing and the other end he wrapped around his arm. Then he jumped over the railing, unsheathing his dagger to join Kili in his attempts at cutting the net. "Get back to the island as soon as possible. We'll be back soon," Fili said hastily as rope finally gave and the net splashed into the water. "Hurry!"

Kili looked at him thankfully, letting himself fall in the water with Bilbo who was sobbing as he tore the net away from his body. Kili grabbed his hand and pulled him with him, swimming further away from the ships to not be caught again. Only then did he stop to help Bilbo out of the net. "You're bleeding." Bilbo said silently, wiping some blood from Kili's lip and his fingers but the older just grinned. "You're safe. That's what matters."

The battle lasted for a while but ultimately, the pirates won. Grinning, they carried everything valuabe over to their own ship, those seriously wounded quickly getting treated. Fili had sustained a gash on his arm which was still bleeding but he could have cared less. They had the goods Thorin had wanted since forever and Kili and Bilbo were safe.

Kili was there on the shallow water, holding Bilbo in his arms as the youngster was slightly in shock, sleeping it off. He looked up as he heard the steps coming, but relaxed once he realized it was only Fili. "I can't thank you enough,"

Fili shook his head and grinned widely at Kili, still slightly reeling from the rush of the battle. "It was no problem. Thorin had his eye on that ship for a while now so it wasn't difficult to convince him to help out." Then his gaze softened. "How is he?"

"Shocked, but he'll survive." Kili said softly, brushing his fingers through Bilbo's curls carefully. "They caught him off guard...it was the first time Bilbo got caught."  
Fili shook his head and sighed, crouching down next to them. "You should get him somewhere save for today. I'm not sure if he'll be happy to see humans for a while."

"He'll be fine. He's a strong one. And knowing him he wants to thank your human." Kili smiled at him. Fili chuckled and turned his head to look back to the ship. "Might take a while. Thorin is currently counting the plunder and it was large so he'll be busy for a bit."

"He'll be sleeping for some while as well." Kili smiled kissing Bilbo's forehead. "He gave me quite a scare." With a snort, Fili nodded and stood up, stretching out. Only then did the wound begin to throb and he hissed. "I'll go and get this taken care of."

"You're hurt?" Kili asked concered, looking up at Fili.  
"Just a scratch." Fili waved off his concern. "Don't worry about it, it'll heal in no time."

"If you're sure..." Kili said unsure and nodded his head. "Go get it healed, and let your human know that Bilbo will come to thank him. Just so he knows."  
"I'll tell uncle," Fili laughed and after a quick wave, he disappeared back onto the ship.

True to his words, Bilbo whistled in the evening, playing with the water beside the ship. Fili leaned over the railing, then grinned when he saw Bilbo and quickly waved Thorin over. His uncle did his usual looking as he approached, hands behind his back. "Yes?"

"I wanted to thank you." Bilbo said softly, tucking a strand of curly hair behind his ear. "Even if i know you were after the ship...you helped me, and my brother. I feared he too would have been caught if he would have stayed, but with your help we both survived with minor scratches."

Thorin narrowed his eyes at Bilbo for a few seconds, silently looking at him before he nodded curtly. "Try not to get tangled up again."  
"I'm sorry." Bilbo murmured lowering his gaze nearly shyly, before flicking his fin and turned around. "And thank you."  
"I can't promise you I'll do it again, mer." Thorin sounded as curt and gruff as always though his resistance did waver a little when he saw Bilbo lower his head.

"I know." Bilbo smiled sadly up at the human. "And I can assure you I'm not doing it on purpose. I enjoy life too much to end it."  
"Then have more care." Thorin drew his eyebrows together and took a couple of steps back.  
"I still thank you, Thorin. For saving our lives." Bilbo sang softly, clicking his tongue as he dove under the water.

Fili shot Thorin a small smirk and opened his mouth but his uncle beat him to the punch. "Not a word, Fili. Now finally get that arm looked at before I get angry."


	9. Chapter 9

The days went by with the same routine. Kili would meet Fili near the beach, and the two of them would build sandcastles, swim around and splash water on each other. Kili hummed to himself, he was happy with his life like this, but he still had some questions so he turned his eyes on Fili. "How long will you be here?"

Fili paused, the brush still in his hair as he blinked at Kili sleepily. He'd had the chance to sleep longer than usual that night and had just gotten up, still rather sleepy. He hummed and put his hands down in his lap. "I've been talking about this with Thorin, actually. He's going to allow me to stay on this island for a few weeks. They're going to a port about two weeks away and then they'll come back." Fili paused and locked his gaze with Kili's. "I want to spend more time with you, that's why I asked Thorin for this."

Kili looked at Fili, surprise visible on his face as he swallowed. "You wish to stay with me?" He asked unsure, self conciously brushing his fingers through his hair. But why? Spend more time? What did he mean by it?

Fili nodded firmly and put the brush down in the sand, finally wading into the water. "I do. I like you, Kili, but let's be honest, we don't know each other all that well. And I want to learn more about you. And I can only do that by spending time with you."

"Learn me?" Kili asked curiously, sliding his hand togehter with Fili's, enjoying the difference of their skin again. "Like this difference?"

Fili's lips curled into a smile and he nodded. "Like this one, yes. But also what you like, what you don't like. Where you've been, what you've seen... Things like that."

"Oh." Kili nodded in understanding, his lips stretching into a warm smile. "I'd like that."

"So you won't mind if I stay for a while?" Fili cocked his head to the side, cheeks heating up.

"No." Kili agreed smiling at him. "I know a place as well."

"Where is it?"  
Recently, Thorin had agreed to let them out of their sight if they didn't disappear for too long. A small step, but a step none the less, especially with Thorin.

"A ten minute trip from here." Kili replied pointing to his left. "It's a cave, well, a small beach with an abandoned cabin on the side. It's broken, but livable. It's near a small cave where I have access."

"Let's go there." Fili stretched out before swimming into the direction Kili had pointed at, taking his time and merely enjoying the warm water. Kili smiled catching up with him, swimming on his back lazily as he lead the way.

Soon, the cabin met Fili's eyes and he swam to the shore to make his way to inspect the shack. Like Kili had said, it was run down and part of the roof was missing but it would work just fine with some repairs. Grinning, he poked his head out of the window to look for Kili.

Kili tilted his head curiously, a small smile playing at his lips as he nodded towards the small cave further on the right and dove beneath the surface. He emerged in the cave, this one a little bigger than the one he tried to kill Fili in and he rested half on the sand, half on the water waiting.

Fili almost walked past the entrance of the cave and the first two steps were cautious ones. But when he saw Kili, he smiled and walked over to him. "It's a good place. I'll have to repair some things but it'll do."

"For the time you're here." Kili agreed with a nod, tilting his head up to look at Fili. He felt both anxious and excited that Fili was going to stay with him for few weeks.

Fili grinned brightly and sat down in front of Kili, pulling his legs under him. "So what do you like to eat? You seemed fond of the cheese but I don't think that's readily available in the sea..."

"I like fish, clams, and some types of seaweed and corals." Kili listed with his fingers. "Not so fond of that icky green stuff some of us eat."

"Algae?" Fili guessed and hummed thoughtfully. So it really was mostly fish the merfolk ate. No surprise there. "Can you teach me how you hunt for fish?"

"I guess it is that." Kili agreed nodding, his eyes flashing playfully. "Of course I can, it's very easy."

"To you, probably." Fili laughed. He had a feeling it would involved a lot of fast swimming and even more diving but it would be a good way to exercise.

"I'll teach you the easy way." Kili promised with a chuckle, smiling at Fili. Fili shook his head with a grin and sat down on the wet sand. "Do you have any questions I can answer for you?"

Kili thought for a moment, leaning his elbows in the warm sand. "Why do you sail across the seas? What do you like to eat? How old are you? Where do you come from? How long have you been sailing? Aside from wanting to know me, why do you want to stay?" Kili fired off the questions with curiosity, stopping to take a breath. "Are most humans evil or more like you? Does your human still hate me? Why did he decide to let you stay?"

That... was a lot of questions. Fili laughed before trying to decide how to best answer each one. "Because it's a family tradition. Grandfather already traveled the sea. Uncle took over and then I joined his ship. We've always been drawn to it, I guess. And it's difficult to resist when the lady of the sea calls your name."

Fili paused and looked wistful before he shook his head. "I come from an island north of here. It's colder there and not as sunny and it's pretty big. The people up there are gruff but hearty. I've been sailing for..." Fili paused, counting inside his head. "...almost two years. Since I was sixteen. I'm still the yongest onboard so they treat me like a little kid. And I want to stay on this island for a little while to explore it. See if I can find anything of worth."

Fili paused and ran a hand over his hair absently. "I wouldn't call humans evil but if you mean that they don't like merfolk then yes, that's right. I wouldn't recommend trusting every human you meet. Thorin... it's difficult to say. But he is a pushover and you returned me and he sees how happy you make me so I guess that's why he also allowed me to stay on this island."

Kili listened curiously and nodded his head as Fili spoke, just enjoying to listen his voice. "I think I understand." He finally said laying down on his back on the sand and closed his eyes, memorizing the information.

Fili watched Kili for a second before he reached out to play with Kili's braid. He'd noticed that Kili had looked like he was listening intensively. "Should I tell you more stories?"

"Yes, please." Kili turned his head a little so he could look at Fili again, noticing his fingers in his hair.

Fili tilted his head back to look at the cave's ceiling, humming thoughtfully. Then he smiled. "Once upon a time, there lived seven little goats in a house alongside their mother. And every time their mother had to go out, she said-" And Fili proceeded to tell Kili the story about the seven young goats who denied the wolf entrance every time until he made his voice lighter using chalk and dipped his paw into the chalk to make it white. Then he ate six of the little goats but the youngest, most distrustful one had hidden away and managed to survive, finding their mother and cutting the wolf open to free the other little goats.

Kili listened at Fili with wide eyes, his attention fully on the human as he told the story. How he youngest lamb had hidden in the clock, how they had stuffed the wolf's stomach with rocks and it died drowning. He blinked when the story ended. "Are all human stories so...sad?"

Fili made a thoughtful noise. "...most are not happy stories. Sleeping Beauty who was raped in her sleep and woke up to children she had born and went mad from grief. But some do have more positive endings where the young maiden is rescued by the prince and gets to marry him and lives a long, happy life."

Kili nodded slowly, turning his head a little as he stared at the rock ceiling above them. "We have stories too." He said with a small smile, proceeding to tell a story about a merman who'd have a necklace around his neck since he was born, and how that necklace was a sign that he was born with a mate. The warmer the necklace was, the closer he was to his mate and when the merman would be old enough and ready, he'd travel the world to find the missing piece of his soul.

Fili listened, legs drawn up to his chest. He was wondering where this story was going, having never heard anything like it before. "...did he find his mate?"

Kili nodded his head smiling. "After the merman had searched the seven seas, the necklace going both warm and cold in time, he thought all hope was lost. Until he met her. He collided with her in the local festival, four seas away from home. The neclace around his neck burnt, and the girl had a similiar talisman around her own neck. They met, they got to know eachother, they got kids."

Fili's face lit up and he smiled as he stretched out his legs. Surprisingly enough, the story had a good ending but then again, maybe Kili asking about the sad endings had been a give-away about what merkin stories were like.

Kili laid back on his back, humming under his breath and in good mood after remembering the story. Fili joined in after a few seconds. Of course it didn't sound as pretty as Kili's song but it was still decent enough.

Kili looked at him surprised, his lips pulling up in a warm smile as he sung softly one part of the song, then stopped, obviously wanting Fili to repeat after him. Fili furrowed his eyebrows together, trying his best to imitate what Kili had sung but it was more difficult than he thought it would be.

Kili giggled, honest of god giggled as he propped himself to sit properly and repeated the first part. This time, Fili did better, managing to keep up with Kili and able to keep the tune going.

Kili nodded his head in approval, singing the next line and then both of them together. Fili joined in without any troubles this time, smiling slightly as he finally pulled his hand away from the merman's hair.

Fili laughed but stopped singing when he heard footsteps approach. Curiously, he turned around and found Thorin's dark eyes staring at them. Sheepishly, Fili got up. Apparently, they had been away from the ship for too long.

Kili: Kili tilted his head a little as the human approached, apparentally they had been gone too long. He sighed silently, and shook his head. It seemed like the human still didn't trust him. It was apparent that they were sort of fighting for Fili's attention a little.

With a playful grin, Kili lifted himself up and grabbed a hold of Fili's shirt, clumsily pressing their lips together for a second before letting himself dive beneath the surface with a clear laugh.

Fili blushed almost instantly, hand covering his mouth as he gave the spot where Kili had disappeared a wide eyed, startled look. Thorin growled silently and grabbed Fili's arm to drag him along, muttering something about lustful sirens under his breath.

Fili stumbled after Thorin and only half-listened to the lecture. He was too busy grinning like an idiot to do otherwise. Perhaps they were an even better match than Fili had hoped.

Kili laughed a long time, his fingers pressed against his lips as the laughter died into shy chuckling, his cheeks red. It had felt as good as the first one had.

The next morning found Kili by the rocks, his fingers idly working to tie the dried seaweed into a strong rope of a kind as he enjoyed the sun, fin idly playing in the water.

Fili stumbled over after a while, yawning and rubbing his eyes. He'd been the one to clean up the kitchen last night and it had been a mighty fine mess. But he still smiled when he saw Kili and started to climb the rocks, peering down to the merman. "What are you doing?"

Kili turned his head with a slight chuckle, he enjoyed seeing Fili so sleepy for some reason. It made the human look fairly cute. "You will see once it's done." Kili promised with a teasing smile and lowered the string on his lap.

Fili made a sleepy noise and nodded, stretching out on the warm rocks. He watched Kili work with half-lidded eyes, feeling rather like an incredibly lazy cat.

"Sleepy?" Kili asked with an amused tone, leaning back on his arms and let himself bask in the sun.

"Rather so." Fili laughed and lowered a leg to let his foot dangle into the water. "It was my turn to clean the kitchen and Bombur kind of left in a mess. So it took longer than expected."

Kili tilted his head curiously, letting it rest on Fili's shoulder. "Tell me about your human friends?"

Fili went quiet for a bit, letting the sun warm him up some more before he spoke up again. "You've met Thorin. He's family, he'd my uncle." He paused, not sure if merfolk used the same terminology. "My mother's brother." There, better.  
"Then there's Dwalin. He's been in Thorin's crew since forever and I've known him since I was very young. He appears rather gruff but he'd not if you're on his good side. Then there's Bofur, he and his brothers Bifur and Bombur joined a couple of years ago and they're great to have around. Good with their hands so they make sure the ship stays in good shape." Fili paused before smiling and telling Kili about the rest of the crew.

Kili smiled at him, listening the tales of Fili's people, growing curious more and more he heard about them. "They sound like nice people."

"They're good people. Some might disagree because we're still pirates after all. We kill. We steal the government's treasure and money. But we've all got heart where it counts. We're not the monsters some people paint us to be." Fili smiled, rolling onto his stomach to look at Kili. "Like someone else I could name."

Kili rubbed his neck embarassed, knowing very well he was one of them who thought of humans as monsters. Some of them still were.

Fili blinked, then reached out to ruffle Kili's hair. He had a feeling that Kili had misunderstood his words. "I wasn't talking about some of the merfolk thinking of us as monsters though I guess that's right, too. I thought more along the lines that the merfolk doesn't do good things all the time either but if we just talked to you..." Fili shrugged, feeling a little helpless.

Kili ran his fingers through his hair and nodded. "Some of us are different, and don't like the taste of human flesh at all. We drown in self-protect. But some of us do it just for fun. They enjoy it."

"Just like some humans enjoy seeing merfolk dry out in the sun," Fili sighed and let himself glide into the water.

"Yes." Kili murmured at him, sliding on the water next to him and let himself float lazily.

Feeling as if the topic had grown too serious, Fili smiled and nudged Kili's fin with a leg. "So, are you going to tell me what you've made this rope for or will I have to guess?"

Kili grinned at him, thankful of the cahnge of topic and slid his fin up Fili's leg with a soft hum. "I told you you'd see it later, but you can guess."

Fili smirked playfully and made a thoughtful humming noise. "Well, I don't think it's though enough to hold some jewelry so that's out. And I doubt you're planning on eating it, too. Something for your hair, perhaps?" Fili ws almost completely sure it was for their hunting lesson later but it was fun to mess around like this.

"Close." Kili chuckled trapping Fili's leg between his fin playfully.

Fili laughed and tugged at his leg but didn't pull it away. Being allowed to touch Kili's fin, even with his leg, was still a marvel. "Close... A shirt?" Fili's eyes twinkled as he leaned in, raising both eyebrows.

"Why would I need a shirt?" Kili asked confused yet amused, his hand pressing on his own chest. "It'd just be heavy and something I don't need."

Fili stared at Kili's chest for a few seconds before he chuckled nervously and nodded. "Alright, I guess the jig's up. You're making the rope for our hunting trip later, right?"

"Right." Kili agreed with a nod, not noticing the nervousness that Fili was showing. "I did promise you to teach you the easy way."

"Will you teach me the more difficult way later?" Fili peeked at the rope in Kili's lap, studying it curiously.

"If you manage to master this one." Kili smiled at the look on Fili's face, noticing the signs of eagerness.

"Alright. I'll leave you to it. I'll go ahead and swim a little." Fili shot Kili a smile before he pushed himself away from the cliff, quickly diving and swimming along the sandy floor.

Kili nodded in understanding, continuing to swirl the seaweed into a rope, until it was nearly see-through but very firm. Then he dove under the water, searching for the baits he'd need.

When he was done, Kili tied the baits on the string, tying them up as a circle with a longer string attached from it, so that it looked like a lasso covered with seafood.

Fili had stopped at the shore to watch Kili work curiously, then he smiled when he made out the shape of the lasso covered in seafood. "Not bad."

"It's easy to use." Kili said turning towards Fili. "It just requires a lot of patience and fast reflexes. You place the string in the water, the bait help to keep it down under the surface. Then you wait. When a fish comes to eat the food, it will eventually swim inside the circle. Then you just yank. The string tightens fast and catches the fish inside it."

Fili reached down and carefully examined the rope, running his fingers over it. He made a noise at the craftmanship, Kili obviously knew what he'd been doing. Years and years of practise could do that to a person. "Not too different from nets. But you won't catch anything you don't want to catch, right?"

"Exactly." Kili agreed with a nod, smiling at Fili, happy that he understood him. "Think you could give it a try?"

"Sure." Fili knew he'd need patience for this but it would suit him just fine. While he'd wait, he would be able to talk to Kili. Grinning, he took the lasso from Kili and quickly threw it out a little further, keeping one hand wrapped tightly around the end.

"Nice throw." Kili chuckled lying half in the water, half on the rock and leant against his arms humming. Now all they'd have to do was wait.

"Thanks." Fili laughed. "I'm one of the knife throwers of the crew. If I didn't throw very well, I'd be severely disappointed in myself.

"Knife thrower?" Kili asked curiously, turning a little towards Fili.

"Well, not only a knife thrower. I wield swords, too. But..." Fili made a thoughtful noise. He didn't take his knife with him into the water anymore, it was too likely to rust. "We don't have many archers in our crew. Thorin knows how to handle a bow and a pistol but that's it. Having someone on your team who can accurately throw knives is very useful."

Kili nodded slowly, tilting his head a little. "Guess it makes sense." He murmured turning his attention back to the water.

Fili went quiet as well, watching the lasso and the bait before turning his head to Kili again. "Are you skilled in weapon useage?"

"I know how to use a knife." Kili said off-handedly, glancing at Fili. "It's mostly made of stone."

"Not bones?" Fili looked openly surprised. He'd heard many stories about what merfolk weapons were made of and most of them said the weapons were made of human bones.

"Very few." Kili replied shaking his head. "Using bones is a sign you're searching for trouble, and most of merfolk who dares to use bones as weapons aren't alive for long. Besides, they tend to break after connecting with rock or something harder."

Fili paused, not sure if he should tell Kili. Then he shrugged his shoulders. "Children are taught to stay away from the merfolk because they're just trying to lure them in to make weapons out of them after eating them."

Kili arched his eyebrow surprised, his lips quirking up in a small smile. "Really? The same is told to us about humans."

Fili shook his head, clearly amused as well. "I'm not surprised. But it doesn't come completely out of the blue. Some people think that eating the flesh of a mer maiden grants them immortality. And some make their jewelry out of merfolk bones but... thankfully, those are far and between."

"Immortality?" Kili asked confused, shaking his head. "As far as I know, it's only a myth.." To think that humans killed his kin for a selfish reason like that..

"I know it is, too. Supposedly, our late King ate some in his youth but he died recently. But that still doesn't convince people for some reason." Fili sighed and shook his head. "Do you have any silly human myths?"

"Not really." Kili shook his head. "Not any myths, just horror stories." He admitted glancing back at the water, keeping an eye on the fishes.

"Tell me about them?" Fili requested, voice serious. He wanted to understand.

Kili looked unsure, drawing his lower lip between his teeth before he sighed. "Mothers use to tell their children about the humans of the dark, of black, bloodthirsty eyes and teeths sharper than ours. They tell about laughter that echo in the dark, screams that follow as they bite down on our bodies, still alive and twitching. Stories about being dried out in the sun for dys, to die and wilt away while everyone are watching and laughing, poking you with sticks..."

Fili winced quietly. No wonder the merfolk feared them, if those were the stories young mer grew up with. Then he gave Kili a small smile. "Well, now you know it's not true. And compared to your teeth, ours aren't as sharp."

"I am aware." Kili smiled a little, his tongue poking his own teeth. "They're sharp, but it takes a lot of strenght to pierce through the flesh."

"Mhm." Fili reached up and placed a hand on his neck. "From here and..." He touched a shoulder. "Here, right? From tugging and pulling your head back to tear?"

"Yes." Kili agreed with a small nod. "The kill is fast, but the victim loses a lot of blood, which will attract sharks."

"So you'll have to be quick." Fili nodded, then narrowed his eyes as a fish began to nibble on the bait. He held his breath, waiting until the fish was inside the circle, then quickly pulled at the rope.

"Exactly." Kili agreed turning his attention back in the water, waiting with anticipation for Fili to yank the string and grinned as it trapped the fish inside the string. "That was great!"

Fili grinned widely at Kili and began pulling the trapped fish closer until he should grab it. It was still fighting to live and Fili frowned. "Do you want it, Kili?"

"If you're sure you don't want it." Kili nodded taking the fish and untangled it from the string.

Fili nodded and carefully wrapped up the rope. "Go right ahead."

Kili shrugged his shoulders, like Fili didn't know what he was missing before biting down on the fish's head, chewing happily.

Fili blinked at the sudden bite, what had he expected, really? He doubted merfolk could afford the time to gut the fish. Or grill it over a fire, all things considered.

Kili stopped chewing, and swallowed slowly tilting his head. "Is it bothering you? This?" He asked waving the headless fish a little. "I can eat in the water too."

Fili looked a little pale around the nose but then he shrugged. "Only a little. Don't go back into the water, it's fine." He smiled briefly. He'd seen enough severed limbs to really feel sick over a beheaded fish.

"You don't look so good." Kili noted sliding his lower part in the water with a chuckle. "It's no trouble, I do a small swim and eat and return then."

"Alright." Fili smiled and stood up, pointing over to the shade of the cliffs. "I'll be over there." It would be a nice spot for a short nap, the sun was making him sleepy again.

"Got it." Kili nodded taking the fish between his teeth and dove under the water.

Fili watched him go, warmth in his eyes. Then he yawned and went to the point he'd pointed at. He curled up in the shade, legs in the water but the rest on land. He had fallen deeper asleep than he'd intended to. He'd just wanted to doze, drift under the sunlight but the lack of sleep was still getting to him. There was a sunburn on the bridge of his nose and his cheeks.

Kili took his time, hunting for fishes he ate straight away with satisfied noise and only returned to Fili after a hour, finding the human resting partly on sand, partly on water and smiled softly.

Kili frowned a little at the sight of the redness he spotted, and moved closer to Fili nudging him gently with his arm. "Fili? Fili, wake up."

Fili groaned and raised his head, looking at Kili. When had the merman come back? He hadn't heard him approach. He smiled sleepily and sat up. "Something wrong, Kili?"

"Your face is red." Kili said touching his own nose and cheeks to show Fili the places he was red. "Is it the sun?"

Fili touched his cheeks, then made an annoyed noise, obviously not pleased with the way he'd fallen asleep. "Yes, it's the sun. Don't worry about it, Kili."

"Does it hurt?" Kili asked concerned, reaching out to press his cool hand on the burnt skin.

Fili flinched away from the touch at first but then pressed his cheek against Kili's cool hand. "The touch feels a little uncomfortable but the coolness is helping."

Kili tilted his head curiously again, reaching out with his other hand and pressed it gently on the second cheek.

Fili sighed happily and closed his eyes. It still very utterly odd and his skin was itching but the coolness seemed to smooth over it. He still couldn't decide if it was bad or good. "Thanks."

"Is there any human way to help with the burn?" Kili asked sliding his hand across the burnt area slowly.

Fili did wince this time, pulling back a bit. Kili moving his hands had firmly pushed the sensation straight from 'odd but helpful' into 'painful'. "There are plants that will help the skin get tan sooner."

Kili pulled his hands back with a nod, looking around like he could spot those plants on the beach. "Should you get some?"

Humming, Fili looked over his shoulder, eyes searching. "...It's fine, I burn easily anyway." Fili shook his head before getting up, the wet pants clinging to his legs. With a small frown, he wrung out the hem.

Kili chuckled silently at the sight, offering Fili a loopsided smile. "You should return to the ship, you look like you need more rest."

Fili shook his head. "No, I wanted to get the roof of the shack fixed today," he explained and glanced back to the forest behind them. "Afterwards, I'll rest though." He shot Kili a reassuring smile.

"If you're sure." Kili looked unsure but nodded, pushing himself away from the sand and floated on the water. Fili waved after Kili before running off into the direction of the ship to fetch an axe. Afterwards, he disappeared into the forest and soon, he was dragging thick branches and leaves towards the hut, and he busied himself with working for the next hours.

Finally, Fili trudged down the path to the beach. He was drenched in sweat and now his shoulders and back were burnt as well but he looked happy with the results. The roof had been repaired and water-proofed. The only thing really missing was a hammock and he knew that there would be enough linen on the ship for a new one if he wasn't able to dismount the one in his own room.

Fili glanced over to the merman and smiled, watching him for a few seconds before wading into the water to get rid of the sweat, hissing under his breath when the saltwater hit his back.

Kili turned his head a little, diving uner the water to surface near Fili, browns together in worry. "You feeling worse?" he had purposelly stayed away to let Fili work in peace, knowing he was no use for the human when he was working.

"My back got burned," Fili smiled through clenched teeth but pointed to the small bag he'd left on the sand. "But I got the plant so I can treat it later."

"Good." Kili smiled relieved, swimming around Fili to get a look on his back. "It looks red." He stated.

Fili laughed, reaching back to touch the small of his back. "I wouldn't know since I can't see my back but I'll take your word for it."

Kili swam back around with a small smile, reaching up with his hands to run his fingers through Fili's hair. "It'll get better."

Fili closed his eyes at the touch and smiled, cheeks growing redder. "I know it will. Maybe I'll actually get a tan this time."

"A tan?" Kili asked confused, playing with Fili's hair slowly.

"Mhm." Fili shivered slightly and rested his forehead against Kili's shoulder. "When we get a sunburn, it first gets red, then it slowly turns brown. We call that a tan."

"Oh. Will you be like a tree trunk then? Or the ship? That brown?" Kili asked curiously, fingers slipping on Fili's neck.

"No." Fili exhaled and when he spoke up again, his voice was shaking. Dear gods, he needed to tell Kili to stop. "Not that brown. Lighter. Like..." He couldn't really think of an example.

"Like?" Kili asked tilting his head a little, enjoying the feel of Fili's skin underneath his fingertips, pressing them gently in the muscles there.

"Like coffee. With milk." But that wouldn't really help Kili, would it? He didn't know what coffee was. "No, wait, it's-" He blinked when he heard a few splashes behind him and barely turned around in time to make out Thorin's dark hair before he was yanked back, his uncle curling a protective arm around his waist. Bewildered, he looked up to his uncle, who was breathing hard and was eying Kili. He obviously had the wrong impression of what had been going on.

Kili pulled his hands away confused, tilting his head a little, obviously not understanding what he had done wrong this time.

Thorin had his eyes fixed on Kili before he loosened his grip on Fili's waist, slowly letting him go. "Apologies. I misjudged the situation." With tense shoulders, Thorin waded back out of the water. Fili stared after him, not comprehending what had set Thorin off this time.

"Did he think I was attacking you?" Kili asked surprised, watching Thorin go with unreadable expression.

"I don't know." Fili shook his head. "I'll ask him about it once he's cooled off a little." He turned back to Kili, looking puzzled.

Kili looked just as confused, his arms crossed behind his back and he smiled hesistantelly. "You should probably return."

Fili nodded, looking distractedly back to the ship before he faced Kili again. He reached out and gave his hands a small squeeze before he waded to the shore and picked up his bag, trudging back to the ship to talk to Thorin.

Kili waved after him, returning back to Bilbo who had been watching the situation from afar. "What was that all about?" Bilbo asked confused, making Kili shrug. "I'm not even sure myself."


End file.
